Weekly Fire Update
There are currently no major fires on IDL Protection. The 799 acre Goldrun Fire was contained on 7/30/23 and the West St. Joe Forest Protective District continues mopping up the 155 acre Tyson Fire.
The Ridge Creek Fire has burned a reported 300 acres of federally protected ground approximately 3 air miles east of Hayden Lake. The fire is visible from Coeur d'Alene. An IDL Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) will in brief on the Ridge Creek Fire this evening and take command of the incident until a Great Basin Type 2 IMT arrives.
Due to the elevated fire danger ratings across the state, a higher national Preparedness Level, Idaho's large fire activity and predicted weather, IDL will carefully evaluate all out-of-state requests for resources. Coordination and tracking of resources is critical at this point of the season.
View the Most Current Wildfire Report on IDL's Fire News Feed
Fire Restrictions
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will be implemented in the Coeur d’Alene Fire Restrictions Area which includes the North and South Fire Restriction Zones beginning August 9. Because fire conditions changed so quickly the decision was made to bypass Stage 1 restrictions and go directly into Stage 2. This area includes all lands managed by or under the fire protection of Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, or other tribal or federal agencies.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions were implemented on July 28 in the Central Idaho Fire Restrictions Area.
Fire danger across the state is Very High to Extreme with the exception of Mica and Southwest Forest Protective Districts which are both listed as High.
Current fire restrictions can be found on the IDL website.
 
Public Feedback Guides Recreational Rulemaking, IDL to Present Results to Land Board this Month
Senate Bill 1049, legislation aimed at changing the behavior of the few bad actors that damage endowment land, was signed into law as the last legislative session concluded. Although the new statute became effective on on July 1, rulemaking is required to implement it.
IDL will report on the progress made through negotiated rulemaking to the Land Board during the commission's August 15 meeting.
The agency relied heavily on comments submitted by stakeholders, members of the public and other agencies to refine its draft of IDAPA 20.05.01. The current draft of the rule stays true to the agency's intent to focus enforcement on targeted problem areas.
Illegal dumping IDL cleaned up on endowment land near Jerome.
IDL Firefighter Recovering from Serious Injuries in Car Accident
On July 26 a cement truck collided with Hunter Szydlowski's vehicle while he was driving to work. Hunter, an IDL wildland firefighter, was seriously injured in the accident and remains hospitalize in Coeur d'Alene.
Yesterday we received news that "Hunter is doing good at this time, he is awake and talking. He is still in the ICU and has a long way to go."
A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help with Hunter's medical bills.
Director Miller's Week in North Idaho
This week Director Miller worked out of the Coeur d'Alene staff office and St. Joe Supervisory Area office in St. Maries.
While in North Idaho Miller visited the site of the Tyson Fire with St. Joe area manager Tony Brede and toured endowment land in Benewah County that lies in the path of development. IDL may soon bring this developable ground to auction.
In addition to meeting with federal officials to discuss the U.S. Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy in Coeur d'Alene, he also met with Tom Schultz, Vice President of Resource and Government Affairs with Idaho Forest Group and with IDL helitack team members deployed at the Coeur d'Alene airport. While visiting IDL's Interagency Fire Cache, Miller saw IDL's new CNC plasma cutter, a tool that will streamline the outfitting of new fire engines, saving time and money.
Tyson Fire 100% Contained, Transferred Back to IDL's West St. Joe Supervisory Area
IDL's West St. Joe Forest Protective District transferred management of the fire to a local IDL Type 3 Incident Management Team on July 21. Management transferred back to the district on Sunday, July 23. The fire was 100% contained at 155 acres.
Goldrun Fire 100% Contained, Transferred Back to IDL's Southwest Supervisory Area
IDL's Southwest Forest Protective District transferred management of the Goldrun Fire to a Great Basin Regional Management Type 3 Incident Management Team (Julia Lauch I.C.) on July 20. Management was returned to the district on July 26. The fire was 100% contained at 799 acres.
Director Miller and Secretary of State Phil McGrane each visited the Goldrun Fire.
ITD, IDL Kick Off Long-Term, Ground Applied Fire Retardant Pilot Project
Late last month Idaho Transportation Department and IDL kicked off a pilot project to test the efficacy of long-term, ground applied fire retardant along the I-84 Corridor between Boise and Mountain Home.
The pilot area was selected due to its historically high volume of roadside ignitions and associated GIS-based data that will aid in evaluating the project.
Research has found the corridor is a hotspot in the nation when it comes to fire frequency. Historically, eighty percent of the fires in the area were human-caused, often by vehicles with faulty trailer bearings, flat tires or overheated catalytic converters.
Crews from the contracted vendor, Perimeter Solutions, trained state personnel on how to safely mix and apply the retardant. For the initial phase of the pilot, ITD first mowed stretches along the highway then Perimeter Solutions applied the retardant to an approximately 20' wide swath of weedy roadside stubble. Later this season the application area will be evaluated for roadside fire ignitions.
The retardant dries clear and is advertised to protect fine fuels from igniting for at least several months in dry climates like southwest Idaho.
Perimeter Solutions has facilities in Post Falls and Pocatello, along with multiple tanker bases and mobile facilities across the state.
IDL is grateful for the support of Governor Little and the Idaho Legislature, especially Sen. Van Burtenshaw, in funding this innovative pilot project. During this era of extreme fire danger, it's important that Idaho bolster suppression and mitigation resources, and explore new solutions to addressing wildfire threats.
Governor, State Officials Meet with Hayden Fire Incident Commander
On July 27, IDL facilitated a meeting between Governor Little and Mike Johnstone, incident commander of Great Basin Team 7, the incident management team charged with suppressing the Hayden Fire. They were joined by District 31 legislators Sen. Van Burtenshaw, Rep. Jerald Raymond and Rep. Rod Furniss, along with IDL Director Dustin Miller.
The Hayden Fire, a 24,429-acre incident that ignited on July 19, is located in the Lemhi Range, 18 miles west of Leadore, Idaho. The fire is burning in steep and difficult terrain with spruce/subalpine fir containing a heavy dead/down timber component.
This incident is on land protected by the U.S. Forest Service.
Later that day Governor Little expressed his appreciation for Team 7, tweeting "thank you to the hardworking firefighters and support crew working to contain the fire! Idaho stands ready to help the Forest Service with containment efforts."
Director Miller Attends Idaho Outdoor Recreation Fund Advisory Council Signing
On Wednesday, July 26 Governor Little signed an executive order establishing the Idaho Outdoor Recreation Fund Advisory Council as the group tasked with expanding access and opportunities on state and other public lands in Idaho.
In concert with the council, IDL along with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Idaho Department of Fish and Game will collaborate to propose projects, manage under-utilized resources to enhance recreational access, and monetize outdoor recreation for long-term sustainability.
Funding for the council comes from Senate Bill 1196 which appropriated $5 million for FY 2024.
The council's 14 members will include individuals representing Idaho's natural resource agencies (Lands, Parks and Fish and Game), members of the Idaho Legislature and stakeholder representatives.
IDL, USFS Leaders Meet to Discuss Federal Wildfire Crisis Strategy
This week Director Miller and Idaho State Forester Craig Foss met with federal officials in Coeur d'Alene to discuss the U.S. Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS), and how it dovetails with Idaho's No Boundaries Forestry initiative.
Other meeting participants included USFS Region 1 Regional Forester Leanne Martin, USFS Region 4 Regional Forester Mary Farnsworth, USFS Region 1 Director of State and Private Forestry Tim Garcia and two USDA-NRCS representatives.
The group discussed expanding priority firesheds to reduce fuels loads, an important step for preventing catastrophic wildfires and can threaten communities and destroy valuable resources.
The USFS launched the WCS strategy in January of 2022. In January 2023 the strategy was expanded to include an anticipated $34,000,000 in funding for cross boundary work in in the USFS Northern Region.
Under the WCS strategy, the Forest Service seeks to work with partners to focus fuels and forest health treatments strategically and at scale, using science to guide project implementation. For Idaho, their list includes:
- Idaho Department of Lands
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
- Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation
- Counties
- Forest products industry partners
- Non-profit advocacy groups
Employees Leaving IDL
We wish departing team members the very best in their new endeavors.
- Bridgett Cafferty, Clearwater Supervisory Area
In Case You Missed It
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