Forest Service plans multiple prescribed burns near Tofte this week

Following the recent precipitation and moderate drought conditions across northeastern Minnesota and the Superior National Forest, U.S. Forest Service officials are expected to begin spring prescribed burning this week.

Forest Service officials will begin Monday, April 22, and burn two units totaling 12 acres near Plouff Creek up the Sawbill Trail. The prescribed burn is intended for wildlife openings and primarily focuses on regenerative efforts for bilberry plants.

“They look like really tiny blueberries,” Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak said.

The bilberry plants host the larvae of the northern blue butterfly, a sensitive species common to Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. “We’ve been doing this for a very long time, and it’s showing that we are increasing the abundance of the bilberry plant, which means we’re having more butterflies,” Bogardus-Szymaniak said.

Moving forward this week, depending on weather conditions and available personnel, Forest Service officials will burn approximately 79 acres near Cross River, north of Schroeder, and 35 acres at Wanless Farm, east of Harriet Lake.

Then, in May, Forest Service officials will move to the Gunflint Trail region for more prescribed burns. The first is at Sunfish Lake, close to Greenwood Lake. Crews will focus on understory and hazardous fuels reduction in that area. The fire will be about 800 acres, Bogardus-Szymaniak said. The second will be approximately 390 acres near Lima Mountain Rd. 

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak about the upcoming prescribed burns and a full update on the Superior National Forest. The audio from the interview is below.

Kalli Hawkins April 22, 2024