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Burning operations planned for military training lands in Interior Alaska to reduce wildfire threat

By BLM Alaska Fire Service on May 4, 2023

Personnel could start ignitions as early as Saturday

PHOTO_RxDMPTR_BPitts_bi_20210508 — BLM AFS firefighter Brian Pitts uses a drip torch on May 8, 2021 to burn a field of dead grass to reduce the wildfire risk on military training lands in the Digital Multi-Purpose Range Complex outside Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo by Beth Ipsen, BLM AFS. Go to the BLM Alaska Fire Service Flickr site for more photos and video of the firefighting equipment and multiple firefighters implementing these prescribed burns in past years to reduce the risk of wildfires on military training lands in Interior Alaska.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska –The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) and 11^th Airborne Division (11^th ABD) will soon implement multiple prescribed fires on military training lands in Interior Alaska. Burning could begin as early as Saturday, May 6, starting with woody debris piles and dead grass within the Donnelly Training Area. As conditions allow, prescribed burning in the Donnelly Training Area (DTA) near Delta Junction, the Yukon Training Area (YTA) near Eielson Air Force Base, and on Fort Wainwright (FWA) land near Fairbanks may continue through May 31.

 Prescribed burns are fires that are intentionally set under controlled conditions to reduce dry and dead grass and lower the risk of wildfires that could impact nearby communities, resources, facilities and military training. Removing hazardous fuels during the spring, when conditions are moderated, allows for the greatest degree of control and the lowest risk for negative impacts, such as smoke. The woody debris piles were created to reduce wildfire risk within training areas and to make the area more accessible to firefighting forces.

While smoke from prescribed fires may be visible from various points in the surrounding communities, their potential impact on the public is considered at all stages of prescribed fire planning. The BLM AFS and 11^th ABD work closely with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Air Quality and the National Weather Service to mitigate potential impacts. There are also procedures in place to halt ignitions if weather conditions, such as wind direction, become unfavorable. 

  The annual prescribed burning is planned at the following locations: 

DTA: Several locations between 25 miles west and 15 miles south of Delta Junction.
YTA: Several locations between 5 miles north and 20 miles east of Eielson Air Force Base.
FWA: Small Arms Complex, immediately southeast of Fairbanks.

The exact timing of later prescribed burning will depend on the snow melting and weather conditions. Subsequent releases specific to each area will provide more precise estimates of the time frames.

Photos of past prescribed burning on military training lands in Interior Alaska are on the BLM AFS’s Flickr page.

-BLM- 

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