PINEDALE, Wyo. – In support of the administration’s goals of conservation stewardship, the Bureau of Land Management High Desert District fire crews are planning to conduct two prescribed fires between May and June as part of a multi-year project.  Both projects will take place on public lands administered by the High Desert District’s Pinedale Field Office. Fire operations will begin only when conditions are favorable for a safe and effective burn.

The Perkins Creek prescribed fire project is located approximately 16 miles west of La Barge, Wyoming and consists of 47 acres of slash and standing conifer. The Burdick prescribed fire project is located approximately 12 miles west of La Barge, Wyoming on the east face of Miller Mountain, south of the La Barge Creek drainage. There are approximately 848 acres of slash and standing conifer targeted to burn on the Burdick prescribed fire Project.

These prescribed fires are part of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project, which was developed as part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative that was completed in 2011. The purpose of the project is to improve vegetation conditions in crucial mule deer winter range, transition range, and fawning ranges. The vegetation conditions are improved by using prescribed fires to reduce conifer where it is encroaching on native aspen stands and to stimulate new aspen growth.

Fire crews will implement a number of burning tactics to start and control the burns. Smoke will be visible to the public during the operations. Fire crews will remain on scene and monitor the burn areas afterward to ensure safety until the fire is out.

Prescribed fire is a beneficial management tool used to replicate natural wildfire. Many land management agencies conduct prescribed fire to ensure the overall improvement of land, vegetation, and wildlife. It can also help return the ecosystem to its natural composition and healthiest function.

For more information, please contact Mark Randall at 307-367-5350 or visit the Pinedale Field Office located at 1625 West Pine Street in Pinedale, Wyoming.