Forest Service News Release

These projects will reduce hazardous fuels and improve wildlife habitat

Contact:
Jared Fisher, Public Affairs Officer Caribou-Targhee
(208) 313-7809
jared.fisher@usda.gov

TETON VALLEY, Idaho, April 07, 2022 – Firefighters will continue prescribed fire operations this spring in Teton Canyon and on the Red Creek Prescribed Fire Project, located on Pine Creek Pass. These projects will improve wildlife habitat and manage forest vegetation. Ignition operations will start Friday, April 8, and continue into May as conditions allow. Updates will be posted to the forest’s Facebook page at USFSCaribouTarghee.
During active operations in Teton Canyon (Units 1 and 2) firefighters may be along Ski Hill and Teton Canyon Roads and smoke will be visible. For the safety of our firefighters, we ask individuals heading up the canyon to use caution and drive slowly. Short delays may be possible.

Work will continue over the next month within the Red Creek Prescribed Fire Project Area, just north of Highway 31, in the area of Pine Creek Pass (Units 9 and 10). During operations, Forest Service Trail #230
(Rocky Peak) may be affected and the public is encouraged to choose another recreation location. Fire managers selected this timeframe to take advantage of the snowdrifts and high ground moistures to limit fire spread. Implementation of the remainder of the project unit will occur later this summer or fall. “Our overall goal is to reduce the amount of hazardous vegetation near public/private borders and to stimulate aspen regeneration to improve wildlife habitat,” said Deb Flowers, South Fork Zone Fuels Assistant Fire Management Officer.
Prescribed fire is generally implemented on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest during the spring, late summer, or fall seasons. Spring burn windows occur between snowmelt and green-up where the balance of weather and moisture is important to the success of prescribed fire activities to meet wildlife habitat and fuel reduction objectives. Fire managers will continue working in these areas as the snow recedes and more vegetation becomes available to burn.

If weather conditions do not allow for ignition, the Forest Service will continue to monitor for an extended clear weather pattern that will meet the combination of fuel moisture, temperature, wind and smoke dispersal conditions necessary for a successful operation. During any season, weather and fuel conditions are the key elements needed to safely implement prescribed fire and meet project objectives. Fire managers plan to continue prescribed fire operations later this year as conditions allow.
These important projects could not be accomplished without the support from various partners including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Habitat Trust, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and local public officials.
For more information, or to learn about the benefits of prescribed fire and the role wildfire has in the ecosystem, contact the Teton Basin Ranger District Office at 208-354-2312.