Prescribed Burns

     The USFS is planning a number of prescribed burns during the 2007 season.  Severe drought conditions that exist in some parts of Minnesota do not exist in our area thanks to some late winter snowfalls and early spring rains.  If these conditions hold steady then the USFS will attempt a number of prescribed burns in the Gunflint Ranger District this spring.                           

     There are currently five prescribed burns proposed for May and June in the Gunflint District.    

• Caribou Rock- This 264 acre burn would occur in mid-trail near well-known Hungry Jack Lake and the popular Caribou Rock Hiking Trail that leads to the Stairway Portage on Rose Lake .
• Crocodile Lake- Crocodile Lake is accessed from Bearskin Lake and is an 868 acre burn.  The Crocodile River makes its way through the Vegetable Chain and out to the Greenwood Road area.
• Meeds Lake- This is the largest of the proposed burns for this spring and is a 1626 acre burn that would occur to the west of Poplar Lake at the mid-Gunflint Trail area.  
• Rum/Sled- Bower Trout Lake is the main lake in this area accessed from the

  Lima Mountain Road .  It is a 515 acre area which is one mile from urban interface.

• Bower Trout- This 1027 acre burn is directly south of the Rum/Sled burn and is one mile from urban interface.

          There are other prescribed burns proposed for the Gunflint District in the fall of this year as well as in other districts in the wilderness area.  These prescribed burns are done in an effort to reduce fuel loads left behind from the blowdown in 1999.  The success of the prescribed burn program was proven during last year’s Cavity Lake Fire when numerous homes and private property was saved due to previous prescribed burns in the area of Seagull Lake .

Prescribed Fire Public meeting on May 5, at Poplar Lake Fire Hall at 3:00 p.m.