The 2013 wildfire season in Idaho was one of the worst on record, with three massive fires destroying homes and forcing thousands of evacuations.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, the Pony, Elk, and Beaver Creek fires burned a total of nearly 400,000 acres. Those three fires were some of the largest in the nation, and cost more than $40 million to fight.
With this year’s fire season just around the corner, there’s a new push for a project that would reduce fire fuels in in a popular area near Boise.
In 2013, we told you about the controversial ‘Thin the Threat’ campaign that was aimed at cutting out some dense forest areas. The U.S. Forest Service is now behind a plan to use several methods to thin nearly 20,000 acres in the Boise National Forest.
The Becker Project has been in the works for years, and is now a top priority in an effort to protect a pocket of federal land from wildfires, and the recreational opportunities it contains.
From KTVB 7 News: https://www.ktvb.com/news/Thinning-out-an-area-of-the-Boise-National-Forrest-261170121.html