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Spring prescribed burns planned in northern Idaho

Idaho
Media Contact
BLM Office:
Coeur d'Alene District Office

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Beginning in April 2026, and continuing through June 2026, firefighters from the U.S. Wildland Fire Service will conduct a series of prescribed burns on BLM-managed public lands across northern Idaho. These prescribed burns aim to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations from previous timber harvest activities, enhance landscape resiliency, protect wildlife habitats, and improve firefighter and public safety by reducing wildfire risks. Burn activities, listed below, will proceed as weather, staffing, and on-ground conditions allow. Acreages are approximate.

Coeur d’Alene District Prescribed Burns

            

Coeur d'Alene Field Office

  • Lynch Gulch – Understory burning (185 Acres) – Pinehurst, ID. Smoke will be highly visible from Interstate 90.
  • St. Joe Brush Field Burning (400 Acres) – Pinehurst, ID.

Cottonwood Field Office

  • Meadows View – Post-timber harvest understory burning (36 Acres) – New Meadows, ID. Smoke will be highly visible from Highway 95.
  • Too Smokey - Post-timber harvest understory burning (30 Acres) – New Meadows, ID.

These prescribed burns support Executive Order 14308 “Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response,” by reducing fuel loads in areas at risk of wildfires on public lands including areas adjacent to communities. Each prescribed burn operation is expected to last one to two days, with personnel and equipment patrolling and monitoring areas for another three to five days. Temporary road closures may be implemented during firing operations for public and firefighter safety. 

BLM is committed to reducing wildfires risks through proactive fuel management. BLM uses prescribed burns as part of a multi-year, phased approach that also includes spraying for invasive weeds, chipping small brush and debris, and removing hazard trees. Prescribed fire is an essential tool in BLM’s wildfire prevention strategy. For additional information on prescribed fire activities in northern Idaho, visit the North Idaho Prescribed Fire story map or contact the BLM Coeur d’Alene District Office at 208-769-5000.

The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.