Parts of Idaho facing elevated wildfire risk through September

Idaho Department of Lands identifies 78% of fires so far in 2023 are human caused

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

Due to drought conditions in North Idaho and warmer than normal temperatures across the state, most of North Idaho and southwest Idaho is at elevated risk for wildfire through September.

That was the assessment Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller delivered to Gov. Brad Little and the other members of the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.

Thanks to a cool, wet spring, most of Idaho experienced a slower start to the fire season without a lot of significant fires or acres burned.

But despite the cool, wet start to the year, state officials have been urging caution for weeks, saying that much of North Idaho experienced less snowpack and a rapid melt off that led to prolonged drying and drought conditions.

“The late spring put North Idaho on a rapid drying trend with above-average temperatures and below normal [precipitation],” Miller told the land board July 18. “As you’ll recall, many places in North Idaho saw below-normal snowpack this winter.”

“Conditions have been better in the southern part of the state, with cooler- and wetter-than average conditions. However the long-term weather forecast

Local Fire Info

Bee Top Fire

Located about five miles up Lightning Creek Road on Bee Top Mountain, the lightning-caused Bee Top Fire is currently listed at 45 acres and 88% contained as of the last report July 18. The North- indicates a warmer-than-normal fire season,” Miller added.

Idaho’s wildfire season (so far): 7,200 acres burned

So far in 2023, the majority of fires the Idaho Department of Lands tracked in its protection areas were caused by people. Through July 13, 91 of the 117 fires that the department’s staff had tracked were caused by humans, versus 26 fires that were caused by lightning. Human-caused fires amounted to 78% of all fires the department’s staff has tracked this year.

“We have more people living and working and recreating on endowment lands, and we are now seeing more unwanted human-caused starts. …Certainly conditions are such that ignitions are quite likely in a lot of places around the state,” Miller said during the July 18 meeting.

Through July 13, almost 7,200 acres have burned in Idaho this year, including 5,905 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land and another 316 acres of U.S. Forest Service land.

In Idaho the responsibility for wildfires can vary depending on where the fire is located and what type of land it is on.

The Idaho Department of Lands provides fire protection on more than 6 million acres of land, including state land, private forests, endowment forest lands and ern Rockies Incident Management Team 9 transferred command back to the Sandpoint Ranger District the same day. The fire has been put on “patrol status,” meaning crews will check on the fire periodically throughout the day, but no more line construction is needed at this time.

Consalus Fire

Located 10 miles west of Coolin, the lightning-caused Consalus offset lands, Idaho Department of Lands Fire Bureau Chief Josh Harvey told the Idaho Capital Sun June 30. Meanwhile the federal government manages about 34.5 million acres of land, about twothirds of Idaho’s landmass.

With Idaho experiencing a slower start to the fire season, the Idaho Department of Lands was able to help its counterparts in Canada fight wildfires that have burned more than 27

Fire has burned 461 acres and is listed as 10% contained as of July 19. A total of 337 personnel are working the fire.

An unmanned aerial system flew an infrared flight over the fire July 18 and recorded areas on the east side of the fire casting much less heat.

Fire personnel have constructed a fire line around the perimeter of the entire blaze, but containment will not increase until the million acres there, Miller said. The Idaho Department of Lands sent a handcrew to Canada a couple of times this year, Miller said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a handcrew as a team of 18 to 20 wildland firefighters.

Miller told land board members there are now more than 600 out-of-control fires in Canada.

Back home in Idaho, the Idaho Department of Lands hired a full interior of the fire has cooled and is unlikely to throw sparks over the line in the wind. staff of 170 seasonal firefighters this year, but the state struggled retaining veteran firefighters and is facing a shortage in experienced leadership personnel, the Sun previously reported.

Standing dead trees continue to be one of the most significant hazards firefighters face. Sawyers are mitigating these trees and crews stay out of them as much as possible. Helicopters have conducted water drops and firefighters have continued night operations on the fire.

This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.

With forecasts calling for hot and dry weather through the end of the week and into the weekend, officials urge caution when recreating in the woods. For the safety of aerial resources and firefighters on the ground, do not fly unmanned aircraft, or drones, within the vicinity of wildfires. “If you fly, we can’t,” fire officials stated.