(Fremont County, WY) — As winter settles over the area, the Shoshone National Forest plans to conduct pile burning operations as weather conditions allow. These piles are the result of completed timber sales and fuels reduction work on Shoshone National Forest. These pile burns are vital to removing unwanted woody material and reducing the risk or severity of future wildfires.
Piles on the northern half of the Shoshone National Forest are in the following areas:
- Recreation residences piles along the North Fork Highway (Wapiti Ranger District)
- Kitty Creek Drainage in North Fork (Wapiti Ranger District)
- Mormon Creek in North Fork (Wapiti Ranger District)
- Wood River Drainage (Greybull Ranger District)
- Timber Creek Drainage (Greybull Ranger District)
On the Wind River Ranger District, piles are located at:
- Long Creek Road (FSR 513/551/548),
- South of the Upper Little Warm Springs Subdivision (FSR 545),
- Salt Creek Area off FSR 533, and
- Community piles near Union Pass subdivision and Pinnacle Heights recreation residences west of Dubois.
On the Washakie Ranger District, piles are in the below areas:
- Louis Lake turn-off along FSR300/311/313,
- Rock Creek area near Rock Creek Reservoir (FSR 310 & FSR 368),
- Pine Creek area along the Forest boundary (FSR 315/314/316),
- Neff Park area near the Fremont Co. Youth Camp and Worthen Reservoir (FSR 302/304/305),
- Recreation residences near Louis Lake,
- Near Louis Lake & Dickinson Park Guard stations, and
- Community piles near the Pass Creek Subdivision south of Lander and the Diamond 4 Ranch northeast of Dickinson Park.
Implementation will be dependent on weather conditions and resource availability. Personnel will patrol and monitor the piles during and after ignition until they are declared out.
The piles may smolder and burn for several days after ignition, producing smoke. Smoke impacts are expected to be minimal; all efforts will be made to limit smoke impacts to surrounding communities. The possibility exists for smoke to settle in low-lying areas overnight. Residents in areas near burn operations are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid possible impacts. Smoke generated from burning these piles may be visible near burning operations as well as in the nearby communities of Crandall, Cody, Meeteetse, Lander, and Dubois.
For more information about these projects, please contact the Wind River Ranger District in Dubois at 307-455-2466, the Washakie Ranger District in Lander at 307-332-5460, or the North Zone at 307-527-6921. For additional information on the Shoshone National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone, follow us on Twitter (@ShoshoneNF), or like us on Facebook (US Forest Service – Shoshone National Forest).