Sufficient winter weather conditions now exist to allow fire personnel on the Bridger-Teton National Forest to begin annual slash-pile burning. During the summer months, crews have been stacking downed timber and brush into 10-foot-high tepee-like piles, waiting for ideal conditions to burn them. Pile-burning could begin as early as this week and last into November. The areas those burns are planned include locations on the Grays River District, the Kemmerer Ranger District, the Blackrock Ranger District, and numerous locations on the Jackson Ranger District Piles are typically a result of fuels reduction projects on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Pile-burning removes undesirable fuels for long-term public safety, and is an important part of the Forest Service fire/fuels annual program of work. Forest-users and the public should be aware of and expect to see smoke throughout the upcoming months. The piles may be burned near communities, travel routes, and popular recreation areas, and the Forest may temporarily restrict access to an area while burning operations are underway.
