KEMMERER, Wyo. — The Kemmerer Ranger District of the Bridger Teton National Forest is planning multiple prescribed burns throughout this spring.

According to BTNF, these could begin as early as late March, and burns may be implemented at any time until mid-July. Smoke impacts should remain minimal due to the short duration of the burns and remote location.

  • Late-March 2022, Little Hornet is up to 602 acres broken up into smaller sections along the LaBarge Creek drainage. Each smaller unit will be managed individually.
  • Late-March 2022, Packsaddle prescribed fire is located in the LaBarge drainage between Forest road 10138 and Forest road 10128. The Packsaddle prescription will target 477 acres.
  • May 2022, Kelly Guard station piles, approximately 20 acres.
  • May 2022, Basin Creek prescribed fire is a 27-acre unit located off forest road 10062, near Basin Creek, approximately 3-miles east of Kelly Guard Station. 
  • May 2022, Nugent prescribed fire is a 68-acre unit located in the vicinity of Turnip Ridge

Prescribed fires are managed under a precise set of parameters know as a “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. Fire management personnel will utilize both ground and aviation resources to safely conduct these prescribed fire operations. Smoke impacts from these operations will be minimal due to the smaller size of the units, remote location, and short duration of each burn.

Fire managers will be coordinating with Wyoming air quality and will monitor weather conditions closely in the days prior to, and during the prescribe fire ignitions. Firefighters will continue to work in the area several days after ignitions to patrol and manage for public safety. Local notifications will take place as well as social media postings alerting the public when these burns will be implemented.

For more information contact the Kemmerer Ranger District at (307)828 5100.

Lindsay is a contributing reporter covering a little bit of everything; with an interest in local policies and politics, the environment and amplifying community voices. She's curious about uncovering the "whys" of our region and aims to inform the community about the issues that matter. In her free time, you can find her snowboarding, cooking or planning the next surf trip.