Cleaning up the divide

In coming weeks, Medicine Bow National Forest fire personnel are hoping to conduct prescribed burns in the northwest portion of the Sierra Madre Range. The targeted burns will improve vegetation conditions and wildlife habitat, as well as reduce fire danger by mitigating fuel loading.

Primary burn units this spring include approximately 220 acres in the Divide Peak area and are part of the Divide Peak Prescribed Burn Project.

Located on the northern end of the Sierra Madres in Carbon Co., Wyoming, this project area is nearly 1,600 acres and includes multiple years of spring/fall burning.

The burn units are located on National Forest System lands managed by the Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District (BCH), approximately 25 miles southwest of Saratoga, Wyoming. Smoke from the prescribed fires will likely be visible from the Baggs, Wyoming and Saratoga areas.

Daily decisions to burn will be dependent on fuel and weather condition alignment. For the most up-to-date information pertaining to exact dates, times and locations, follow the Medicine Bow National Forest official social media pages: @FS_MBRTB on Twitter or @FSMBRTB on Facebook.

“This project has multiple benefits and includes integration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Platte Valley Habitat Partnership,” said BCH District Ranger Jason Armbruster. “We appreciate the support of Wyoming Game and Fish and will continue to work with them to improve big game habitat, as well as increase forest and rangeland health and diversity.”

The burn units are composed of mountain shrubs, grass and some aspen. Fire behavior models will be used to determine the needed organization to safely complete the burns. The fires are expected to burn in a mosaic pattern. Short-term closures during operations may be necessary on adjacent Forest roads.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service fire crews will monitor the burn areas until all fires are completely out. Staff will primarily use drip torches to carry out the burning. Necessary smoke permits will be obtained from the State of Wyoming and adhered to throughout the project.

Prescribed burning is a versatile forest management tool that can mimic historically natural fire disturbances, reduce hazardous fuels buildup and improve habitat for a variety of wildlife. Minimal and managed smoke from prescribed fires now helps prevent the potential for more unpredictable and hazardous wildfire smoke in the future.

For more information about this project contact Central Zone Fire Management Officer Flavio Gallegos at (307) 745-2373 or Jerod DeLay, Fuels Assistant Zone Management Officer, at (307) 745-2497. More information about prescribed fire can be found on the USFS website.