Conditions align this week for prescribed burns near Gunflint Trail, BWCA

If temperatures, relative humidity, and wind speeds align on Tuesday, the Forest Service plans to burn 390 acres near the mid-trail of the Gunflint. 

Starting May 14, Forest Service fire crews will resume prescribed fires on the Banjo unit, located approximately five miles southwest of the Gunflint Trail, near Swamper Lake. 

Forest Service officials said in a press release that the prescribed burn will remove pine slash leftover from vegetation management activities to reduce ladder fuels and downed surface materials. Smoke may be visible nearby, including at Ram Lake, Bower Trout Lake, and Morgan Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

If conditions hold, Forest Service crews will conduct another prescribed fire near Isabella the following day. On Wednesday, May 15, Forest Service crews anticipate burning 72 acres within the Fry unit by the Little Isabella Campground. Officials said the prescribed fire intends to prepare the unit for natural regeneration and planting. 

Then, this week, near Tofte, an approximately 200-acre Bandit-prescribed fire may occur near Wilson Lake. The Forest Service said the Bandit prescribed burn is a timber harvest unit and will reduce post-harvest slash, duff, and brush.

“The burn will also help to create moose habitat by promoting new growth of brush species for browse and prepare the site for natural regeneration and planting of new trees,” the press release said. 

Following these units, if weather conditions and staffing align, fire staff hope to continue prescribed burns along the Gunflint Trail near Greenwood Lake and at two other units north of Tofte at the intersection of the Sawbill Trail and Perent Lake Rd. 

The Sunfish prescribed fire unit is a 775-acre unit located south of Greenwood Lake. It consists of both National Forest System lands and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land. 

The main objective of the fire is to create defensible space around lake properties, a U.S. Forest Service campground, and other essential landscape resources. Forest Service officials said the fire will also improve moose habitat in the area. 

Prescribed burning schedules may vary day-to-day based on conditions. Fire managers anticipate that the window of opportunity for prescribed burning to implement these units could occur within the next 7 to 14 days beginning May 18. 

In the next two weeks, the Forest Service is expected to move forward with a 270-acre Slim Lake prescribed burn north of Ely and partially within the BWCAW.

“We are continuing to monitor on-the-ground conditions across the units to best meet our burn objectives,” Patrick Johnson, the Tofte and Gunflint Ranger District’s fire management officer, said. 

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires may continue to be present throughout the week as it moves across Minnesota. Smoke and air quality updates can be found here.

Kalli Hawkins May 13, 2024