SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — The National Park Service and U.S. Wildland Fire Service are preparing to conduct prescribed pile burns in the Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas throughout October and November.
The National Park Service will conduct the burns when conditions and staffing allow. The piles contain brush, logs, and branches left from fire suppression work on the Border 2 and Sisi fires.
Fire managers plan to burn the material when conditions are favorable, and the potential for flames to spread beyond the piles is low.
Smoke could be visible from roads and other areas around Stehekin and Ross Lake during and after the burns. The National Park Service said smoke may affect visibility and air quality and could settle in low-lying areas overnight.
Fire managers will monitor smoke and conduct the burns under conditions intended to minimize effects on surrounding communities.
The burns are part of an ongoing fire management program at the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. The National Park Service said prescribed fire can improve habitat for fire-dependent plants and wildlife and encourage new vegetation growth.
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