Foss Lake Prescribed Burn, May 14, 2017

Date Issued:
May 13, 2017. Anticipated ignition as early as May 14, 2017. The date of ignition for this fire is dependent on many factors including fuel and soil moisture, wind direction, current weather, predicted weather, and resources.  

Prescribed Fire Information:
218-208-3969 or snfwestzonepio@gmail.com. For more prescribed fire information, check the Superior National Forest website: Prescribed Fire Information 

Location:
In northeastern Minnesota, in St. Louis County on the LaCroix Ranger District of the Superior National Forest approximately 10 miles west of Ely, MN and north of the Wolf Lake Road, between Foss Lake and the BWCAW. T63N R14W S35. (Map attached.) 

Description:
The purpose of this 78-acre unit is for both fuels reduction and oak/blueberry habitat improvement. The area is a combination of open rock outcroppings and forested drainages where fuels treatment can both help reduce surface and ladder fuels and reduce vegetation that competes with oak trees and blueberry plants. Reducing the hazardous fuels component in this unit is part of a larger fuels treatment effort in the Burntside Lake area. This unit will create another area in addition to recent Burntside Lake prescribed fire units where available fuels in the forest are reduced and therefore lower the intensity of future wildfires when they occur.

Resources: 
Holding crews and ignition crews of firefighters using hand tools will be working directly on the prescribed fire unit.  Due to the remote location of this unit, crews will be using ATVs and hiking to gain access for holding and ignition operations.

Closures:
There will be no closures needed during this prescribed fire. Depending on wind direction, some residents and visitors may experience smoke, potentially on Burntside and Wolf Lakes, or Crab, Buck, Cummings, Slim Lakes in the BWCAW.



Superior National Forest           US Forest Service 

Foss Fire update May 20, 2016

Date Issued: May 20, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. Incident Commander Type III: Timo Rova
Fire Information:


Fire Start Date: May 19, 2016 Size: Approximately 440 acres Containment: 10 percent

Location: This fire is located 10 miles west of Ely, MN, in St. Louis County, one mile west of the southwestern edge of Burntside Lake, north of Foss Lake, and south of Crab Lake.
The fire is burning north within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

Description:
Crews made good progress today, directly attacking the fire on its north, east, and west sides. Aircraft dropped fire retardant along the east side of the fire and water on the west side.

Background: The Foss Lake Fire began on May 19 as a prescribed fire to reduce surface and ladder fuels, to enhance wildlife habitat, and to encourage jack pine regeneration. Shortly after ignition, an unpredicted change in weather conditions brought higher winds, warmer temperatures, and lower relative humidity.

A spot fire north of the control line escaped containment and the wind-driven fire spread to the north.

Aircraft that were on standby responded quickly and, with the work of ground crews, were able to slow the fire’s eastward spread with water and retardant drops, protecting the west and north sides of Burntside Lake.

The fire spread north to Crab Lake in the BWCAW. There was no fire growth to the south.

Message:
There is no threat to the towns of Ely, Winton, Tower, or Soudan. No structures are threatened. Good fuel-reduction work completed over the last two years on Burntside Lake increases firefighters’ ability to manage the eastern edge.

Resources:
80 personnel and 8 aircraft. MNICS Type II Team under Incident Commander Brian Pisarek arrived today and will take command of the fire Saturday morning. The Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade and the Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department both have fire boats on Burntside Lake are conducting structure-protection assessments.

Weather: Saturday’s weather will be very similar to Friday’s. The temperature will be around 75 degrees. Relative humidity will be 20–27 percent. South winds will be variable up to 7 mph. The earliest chance of rain over the fire area is Monday.

Closures: Currently, just one BWCAW entry point is closed: entry point #4 Crab Lake. All other entry points remain open. The closure area includes the following BWCAW portages and lakes, including campsites:

• Crab Lake BWCAW entry point and portage from Burntside Lake to Crab Lake
• Crab, Boulder, Phantom, Battle, Sprite, Meat, Clark, Glimmer, Hassle, Saca, Little Crab, Korb, Maxine, Barefoot, Little Jig, Silaca, Coxey Pond, Lunetta, Schlamn, Soroll, Glenmore, Western, Blick, Chad, Dugout, and Pine Lakes and associated portage trails
• Cummings Lake portage from Cummings Lake to Korb Lake and Cummings Lake to Korb River Update Foss Lake Fire
• Pine Creek East of Trout Lake
• Pine Lake portage from Trout Lake to Pine Lake

Closure signs will be used at normal points of access to delineate the closure area. The closure area map is located at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4740/#

Superior National Forest Prescribed Burn - October 5, 2015

The Superior National Forest West Zone Fire Organization anticipates a window for prescribed burns next week. 

Project Names: River Point and River Point Unit 5

Location and project size:

This project consists of two burn units south of Ely, MN just off Highway 1.

• An 18 acre unit north of the highway will be referred to as River Point Unit 5 (Unit 5): Township (T) 62 North, Range (R) 11 West, Section (S) 30.
• The 111 acre unit south of Highway 1 runs along the road into River Point Resort: T62NR11WS31.

Purpose: The Superior National Forest is planning to conduct two prescribed burns south of Ely along the Kawishiwi River to reduce hazardous fuels and wildfire threat to private lands and residences. These burns are the next step in an ongoing effort to reduce hazardous fuels. Balsam fir are highly flammable with low hanging branches—creating ladders which fire climbs up into the crowns of trees.
Historically, periodic fires kept the rate of balsam growth in the forest at a much lower percentage, but fire suppression during the last 100 years has allowed balsam fir to become much more prevalent in the understory. In these units, balsam and other fuels were harvested or crushed with machinery but burning is necessary to kill balsam seedlings and sprouts, giving pine and other native plants sunlight and room to grow. Slash was pulled back from the trunks of large pines to protect them from the understory fire. Mature white and red pine trees have thicker bark which resists fire damage.

Today’s message: Exactly when the burns will be accomplished will be dependent on weather. Shorter days and increased moisture in fine fuels make finding weather windows for fall burns challenging. The smaller burn may be ignited as early as Monday, October 5, 2015. The larger unit may be done later in the week. Aerial resources including a helicopter may be used for ignition (on the larger unit) and for monitoring fire behavior. Another notice will be sent out the day ignition is most likely.

Caution for Travel on Highway 1: During ignition of the southern unit, be especially cautious exiting the Kawishiwi River Bridge. Please slow down and be prepared for heavy smoke, fire fighters, and fire engines on Highway 1 between the Ely Airport and the South Kawishiwi Campground.

This information is supplied by the USFS Kawishiwi Ranger District, October 3, 2015

Prescribe Burn Update - September 29, 2014

Monday, September 29, 2014

Coo Lake Understory Prescribe Burn 

Fire fighters made good use of the weather window over the past four days and managed good consumption of hazardous fuels on three prescribed burn units. These units will be monitored. As holding action, crews may ignite pockets of unburned fuels within the boundaries so people may continue to see and smell smoke near the burns. Fire managers will continue to watch for opportunities this fall. If warmer, drier weather returns these units may be revisited or other units may be addressed.

• Coo Lake North, T63N, R13W, S20, is 19 acres, is on a peninsula on the western edge of Burntside Lake. This unit was ignited yesterday. There was good consumption of hazardous fuels. The result of this burn will be a mosaic of species and ages of vegetation with some openings allowing blueberries and pine seedlings to grow. A crew is already on scene today. Pockets of unburned fuel may be ignited over the next several days as holding actions and to complete fuel reduction.
• Bear Island Island Unit, T61N, R13W, S10, 121 acres, is the large island in the center of Bear Island Lake. This unit was ignited on Friday. Pockets of fuel continued to ignite under stronger winds on Saturday. Firing tactics were designed to protect mature pines in the center and consume hazardous fuels. Some individual torching of pines occurred but pines remain to re-seed the island. Fuel reduction on this island will help to slow or even stop a wildfire from threatening nearby homes. 
• Pine Ridge Unit, T65N, R16W, S1, 90 acres, is north of the Echo Trail and west of Jeanette Lake. About half of this unit was ignited yesterday before rain swept in, but fire cleaned up some holding lines for future burns.
• Kangas Burn Unit, T61N, R12W, S14, 99 acres, is south of the Blueberry Lake Road (St. Louis County Road 120) off the Birch Lake Road, south of Little Lake. The purpose of this burn is to re-establish moose habitat. The short window of burning weather forced fire managers to set this unit aside for a future opportunity, perhaps even later this fall if the right weather develops.

 Any one of these sites may be re-visited with a prescribed burn within the next several years to continue clean-up and encourage the comeback of desired species.  For more information, contact Becca Manlove, Information Officer, Kawishiwi Ranger District, 218-365-2093.

Prescribe burn update from the USFS - September 26, 2014

September 26, 2014

Yesterday, a test fire showed conditions to be too moist for good consumption of hazardous fuels to ignite the Coo Lake North unit. Cloud cover that was predicted to break up by mid-afternoon did not disperse.

A meteorologist from NOAA joined the crew yesterday evening. Spot weather predictions indicated good burning conditions for today, September 26, 2014. The Bear Island Island Unit was chosen because of predicted wind direction, temperatures, and expected weather over the next few days. 

Hazardous fuels have been cleared from around two eagles nests and two campsites. These four areas of concern are ‘plumbed’ with sprinkler hoses. Ignition crews will be following burn patterns designed to protect pine stands on the interior of the island while consuming hazardous fuels on the edges. 

• Coo Lake North, T63N, R13W, S20, is 19 acres, is on a peninsula on the western edge of Burntside Lake.
• Bear Island Island Unit, T61N, R13W, S10, 121 acres, is the large island in the center of Bear Island Lake.
• Kangas Burn Unit, T61N, R12W, S14, 99 acres, is south of the Blueberry Lake Road (St. Louis County Road 120) at the end of U5192AA south of Little Lake.
• Pine Ridge Unit, T65N, R16W, S1, 90 acres, is north of the Echo Trail and west of Jeanette Lake.

Please leave fire fighters space to do their work. Be mindful of aircraft. They may need to scoop water from the lake. Please don’t park fire engines in—they may need to respond to other fires or re-position to support the prescribed burn.

All Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points and Superior National Forest Trails are expected to remain open. People may see and smell smoke. As always, the safety of fire fighters, residents, and visitors is the first priority in using fire to reduce hazardous fuels. There will be increased traffic on roads and the lake due to fire operations. Aerial resources may be used for safety, communications, additional control, and monitoring.  

For maps and more information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/superior or call 218-365-7600. (Not all of the units shown on the maps are scheduled to be burned at this time.)