Grand Teton National Park to Begin Fall Pile Burns on November 9 to Cut Wildfire Risk
The National Park Service (NPS) announced on November 2 that Teton Interagency Fire crews will begin burning piles created by fuel reduction projects in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming as early as November 9, in order to reduce wildfire risk.
Fuel reduction includes thinning trees and removing lower limbs, and clearing dead wood and brush from the forest floor. Firefighters place the wood and brush into pyramid-shaped piles and let them cure for a year before burning them; pile burning is the last step in the thinning process.
The piles will be burned under low fire behavior conditions resulting from wet weather and snow accumulation. Smoke may be visible during the day of ignition and may linger in the area for a few days.
Fuel reduction burns are planned near four locations: Colter Bay, Beaver Creek, Elk Ranch, and Kelly Pit.
The park said exact timing is difficult to predict. Crews will ignite piles only when weather and smoke-dispersal conditions are favorable and the risk of fire spreading beyond the piles is low, and burning may continue over the next several months as conditions allow.
Public and firefighter safety is always the priority in all burn operations. Fire management staff will monitor the piles to assure complete combustion and consumption of all fuels and to assess conditions; if smoke lingers, signs will be posted along roadsides to remind drivers to use headlights for safer travel. (Source: National Park Service)
Source: National Park Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，Frank Kovalchek，CC BY 2.0 / Image: Wikimedia Commons, Frank Kovalchek, CC BY 2.0
