The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) will be conducting a small, prescribed burn near the end of Maud Road tomorrow, May 10, weather permitting. The burn will be five acres between Mud Lake and Jim Lake, at the Kenny and Patti Barber Shooting Range.
Members of the Gannett Glacier Crew, DOF Mat-Su firefighters, and Butte Fire Department will conduct the five-acre burn between Mud Lake and Jim Lake, at the Kenny and Patti Barber Shooting Range. The grasses and brush that often surround these types of popular areas dry out very quickly in the spring.
“Numerous unplanned and unintended human-caused wildfires have had their origins tied to shooting ranges across Alaska,” said Mat-Su Assistant Fire Management Officer Cal Maki. “The grasses and brush that often surround these areas dry out very quickly in the spring before green up.”
Using favorable conditions in the springtime also allows for essential training opportunities for firefighters as they prepare for the upcoming wildland fire season.
Given the burn’s location, the impact to the public is expected to be minimal but smoke may be visible in the greater Mat-Su Valley.
Mat-Su DOF also plans to conduct an additional prescribed burn off of Sitze Road in Wasilla, depending on weather and snowpack conditions next week. This additional burn would be 9.5 acres and consume dead grass fuel within the area.
Categories: Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF), Prescribed Fire, Training
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 