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BOISE, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management will be conducting two prescribed burns this fall as part of an effort to reduce wildfire threat by removing hazardous fuels. Burns will occur in both Elmore and Valley counties with timing dependent on weather and ground conditions.

Martha Avenue Prescribed Burn – Located about eight miles north of Mountain Home, this burn will occur between Oct. 20 and Nov 20. The burn will remove 25 acres of Russian thistle that has grown within the Paradigm Fuel Break Project, a network of roadside buffer zones in which highly flammable vegetation has been reduced or removed to prevent fire starts and spread.

Round Ridge Pile Prescribed Burn –– Located about six miles east of Smiths Ferry, this burn will occur between Oct. 15 and Dec. 30 and will involve burning 30 large piles of logging slash, spread over 250 acres, that accrued from a 2020 timber harvest.  Burning these piles under cooler, moist conditions will eliminate what might otherwise be a hazardous fuel source during a wildfire.

Before starting any burn, fire managers will wait for adequate moisture levels in the project area to minimize unintended fire spread. Once initiated, prescribed burning operations are expected to last up to three days, with personnel and equipment patrolling areas up to five days afterwards. Smoke from these prescribed burns has the potential to be visible from large distances due to the projects’ locations, fuel types and burning conditions.

For more information, contact the BLM Boise District Fire Information Line at 208-384-3378.