Hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts have a new way to find out if forest officials will be burning the landscape near their getaways.
For year, agencies that manage public land have been making hard copies of where they plan to conduct prescribed burns. This year, national forests in Idaho, along with the Bureau of Land Management and the Idaho Department of Lands have put together online maps that show where each burn will happen.
Prescribed burns take place between April and July, depending on the weather. The goal of the fires is to reduce fuels on the ground, create fire-resilient trees and help protect people and timber from severe wildland fires. In the Payette National Forest alone, burns are planned in the Council, New Meadows and Krassel Ranger Districts this spring.
Agencies typically post caution signs with closures and a map of where they plan to burn on trail heads and roads that lead to those spots. But this year, a new interactive website provides information on where and when each fire will be. Campers and hikers can plan their activities around the burns, before they head out to recreate.
You can find a link to the new website of maps here.
Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio
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