East Saddle forest management project improves elk habitat

The Nez Perce-Clearwater Nationwide Forests and the Idaho Division of Fish and Sport (IDFG)’s Clearwater Area are working collectively on administration tasks that enhance wildlife habitat on Nationwide Forests lands. One such venture is East Saddle, the place the Forest Service not too long ago applied prescribed burning to enhance habitat for elk and different wildlife.

The East Saddle Built-in Restoration Mission, a collaborative venture between the Forest Service and IDFG, is situated on the North Fork Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater Nationwide Forests in areas of the Cayuse Creek drainage south of Previous Kelly Creek Work Heart, extending west of the Work Heart and north of Kelly Creek to the North Fork of the Clearwater. The first goal of the venture is to enhance browse for ungulate species, similar to elk and deer, whereas additionally offering improved elk summer season and winter vary and calving habitat. Prescribed burning, timber harvest, and aspen restoration are all utilized within the venture plan as methods to fulfill these aims.

On October 19, the Nez Perce-Clearwater Nationwide Forests carried out prescribed burning as a part of the East Saddle venture. A number of models had been efficiently burned, totaling roughly 1,000 acres.

“We’re actually happy with the outcomes,” stated TC Peterson, prescribed fireplace and fuels specialist on the Nez Perce-Clearwater Nationwide Forests, of the current East Saddle prescribed burn. “On common, this burn consumed 80-90% of the focused fuels throughout the designated models, which is a wonderful success fee.”

“The East Saddle prescribed burn is a superb instance of how fireplace can be utilized as a device to enhance forest circumstances and wildlife habitat,” stated Tara Ball, Regional Wildlife Biologist with IDFG. “Not solely does prescribed fireplace stimulate new progress that improves forage for elk, it additionally creates a mosaic of latest and previous vegetation, offering various habitat throughout the forested system that’s necessary to many wildlife species.”

Whereas smoke is an inevitable by-product of prescribed burning tasks, the smoke produced by way of a deliberate burn is way lower than what can be produced by a wildfire.

“The smoke produced by the October 19 burning at East Saddle lifted roughly 2,000 toes above floor stage and drifted east,” recollects Jim Wimer, Hearth Info Specialist with the Nationwide Forest. “In the course of the afternoon, the winds had been mild, so the smoke stayed primarily over the Kelly Forks drainage.”

Smoke screens deployed within the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys confirmed no impacts to air high quality throughout these prescribed fireplace operations. Later that night time some smoke briefly drifted throughout the Continental Divide, however it dissipated shortly, and air high quality was unaffected.

The Idaho Division of Fish and Sport and the Forest Service plan to proceed partnering collectively on tasks like this.

In case you have questions on wildlife habitat enchancment tasks on the Nez Perce-Clearwater Nationwide Forests, please contact the Idaho Division of Fish and Sport (208-799-5010) or the Forest Service (208-451-5585).