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A prescribed burn is planned on roughly 2,500 acres to restore Pine Barrens habitat this weekend. The Washburn Ranger District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) will oversee the burn on national forest lands.

Prescribed burns is a term to describe fires set intentionally under controlled circumstances to aid with natural resource management. The fire planned for this week will be set from the air and ground. Precautions are being taken to ensure firefighter and public safety.

Local, state and federal agencies are working together on the burn. Fire managers will rely on spot weather forecasts and air quality monitors will be set up in surrounding areas to track smoke from the blaze.

Pine Barrens ecosystems are plant communities with low concentrations of mature pine trees. Grasses can overrun these regions. Historically, frequent wildfires would maintain these areas, allowing new trees to grow. Fire prevention and suppression in such Wisconsin habitats have reduced their size from a peak of 2.3 million acres at the time of European settlement to less than one percent of that total today. Plants and animals, including, sharp-tailed grouse, upland sandpiper, chryxus arctic and tawny crescent butterflies, eastern bluebird and ternate grapefern depend on these open habitats for their survival. The numbers of some plants and animals have fallen due to decreasing habitat.

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest manages about 15,000 acres of Barrens habitat. The U.S. Forest Service has restored the Moquah Barrens area through successful use of prescribed burns, dating back to the early 1960s. Monitoring of the area continues to track long-term progress of the burning program.

Follow fire planning and progress at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3390/

Press Release from WDNR

GTAC proposes fewer exploration drilling sites

MADISON – Today Gogebic Taconite, LLC, withdrew their May 9 exploration license application and submitted a replacement application to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

According to Ann Coakley, DNR’s Waste and Materials Management director, the company is now proposing to drill only eight exploration borings rather than the 13 they had originally proposed in their first application.

Company officials indicated they removed five of the original 13 boreholes to gather additional information needed to appropriately address stormwater issues in accordance with applicable regulations. The need for additional information on the five drilling sites was identified during a May 14 site visit by DNR staff to inspect the proposed drilling locations and access roads.

The department will review the new application and has 10 business days to make a decision. Gogebic Taconite may apply for a license to conduct additional exploration borings in the future.

The new application is available on the Gogebic Taconite Project webpage.

Latest information from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Germann Road Fire contained, 8,131 acres burned and cause related to logging operations

GORDON, Wis. – The Department of Natural Resources has declared the Germann Road Fire 100 percent contained as of 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 15 with acreage adjusted to 8,131 acres burned due to more detailed mapping of the fire.

DNR law enforcement, working with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, reports that the fire was caused by equipment associated with logging operations.

“While we do have the fire completely contained, we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” says Trent Mary, director of DNR Bureau of Forest Protection. “To be clear, the fire is not 100 percent under control. We do have a line around the fire and we’ve been successful in being able to keep it within the perimeter containment lines. There are still a number of hot spots within the fire perimeter that we are concerned with and are continuing to suppress.”

The cause of the fire has now been confirmed by law enforcement officials that the fire started from a logging crew harvesting timber on industrial timber lands. The operator of the logging equipment noticed smoke coming from below the cutting head of the machine while harvesting timber.

“The operator got out of the machine and made a concerted effort to extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher located in the cab of the harvester,” says Gary Bibow, Fire Law Enforcement Specialist. “Another operator on the crew immediately called 911 and DNR resources were on scene in less than 10 minutes.”

A thorough investigation has demonstrated that no negligence was involved and there was no intentional setting of fire to the land. The Department in consultation with the Douglas County District Attorney has recommended that no criminal charges be filed.

Officials also lifted the evacuation order and allowed the public to return to their residences. All public roads are now open and power has been restored to the area. Property owners in the area are encouraged call 1-715-376-4185 to find out the status of their homes and property. The hotline will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The number of damaged or destroyed structures has not changed with 77 structures saved and 47 lost including 17 residences. There are no reported injuries.

Cooler temperatures, lighter winds and precipitation expected over the weekend. DNR fire control officials note that this will greatly assist in the mop-up operations and keep the hot spots under control in the coming days.

Gov. Scott Walker and DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp are expected to arrive at the command post at the Gordon Town Hall today and are planning to take a tour of the fire area and visit with locals devastated by the incident. The governor has issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in response to the forest fire.

All DNR burning permits continue to be suspended today and the public is encouraged to check with local fire officials for any additional restrictions that may be in place. Winds are expected to be lighter today, however the warmer temperatures and relative humidity continue to push the fire danger into the high and very high category.
For continued updates related to the Germann Road Fire, visit the DNR website dnr.wi.gov, enter keyword “Germann Road Fire.” For the most current fire danger and any burning permit restrictions, enter keyword, “fire.”