Prescribed Burn Project to Start This Fall in West Wyoming

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Forest managers are planning to begin an expansive, yearslong controlled burn project on the Bridger-Teton National Forest this fall in western Wyoming.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that the project in the Star Valley area will be done over a 10-year period and cover nearly 65,000 acres, a tract about a fifth the size of Grand Teton National Park.

The project will be a mix of fuels-reduction work designed to prevent wildfires from creeping onto private lands to the west, and prescribed burns that mimic wildfire's natural role of invigorating browse for elk and mule deer.

The first burn is set for the backcountry Salt Range subalpine zone.

Greys River District Ranger Justin Laycock says impacts to the public are expected to be minimal.