JACKSON, Wyo. — Expect smoke in the valley this upcoming week. According to a recent release from the Bridger Teton National Forest (BTNF), the Jackson Ranger District will begin prescribed burn operations on four locations in the Teton to Snake Fuels Reduction Project area no earlier than April 12.
The Teton to Snake Fuels Reduction Project area include:
- Trail End Road – located adjacent to the Trails End subdivision and west of Red Top Meadows subdivision.
- Taylor Mountain Unit 2 – located adjacent to the Highland Hills and Hidden Hills subdivisions.
- Mosquito Creek North – located approximately 3.5 miles up FS Road 980 (Mosquito Creek Rd), bordering the western edge of the 2001 Green Knoll Fire scar, with Black Canyon located to the north.
- Phillips Bench Units 2 and 7 -These are pile units that have piles remaining from fall of 2020 located on Phillips Ridge.
Teton to Snake Fuels Reduction Project is designed to decrease the risk from unwanted wildfires that could impact communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI), specifically, Phillips Ridge, Fish Creek, Teton Village, Wilson, and the Fall Creek Corridor communities.
BTNF reminds local homeowners of their responsibility to decrease their risk by creating and maintaining defensible space on private property. Treatments, such as these, done before a wildfire starts, can provide firefighters the opportunity to minimize or mitigate impacts to private lands.
Prescribed fires are managed under a precise set of parameters know as “prescriptions” which include overall project objectives, temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, current and expected forecast, and fuel conditions, as well as available firefighting resources, and time of season.
Before burning, fire managers ensure that all the parameters are within their prescribed fire plan so the operations can be conducted safely, and objectives can be met.
According to BTNF, Fire management personnel will utilize both ground and aviation resources to safely conduct the operations.
Smoke will be visible from around the valley and may continue for a few days after ignitions depending on the environmental conditions and the intensity of the burn.
Fire managers will be coordinating with Wyoming air quality and will monitor weather conditions closely in the days prior to, and during the prescribed fire ignitions. Firefighters will continue to work in the area several days after ignitions to patrol and manage for public safety.
For more information contact the Jackson Ranger District Fire Prevention Staff at 307-739-5424, visit Tetonfire.com or follow the Bridger-Teton National Forest Facebook page.
