2022–2023 Pocatello East Bench Wildfire Fuels Mitigation Project

If you have questions or want more information regarding the Pocatello East Bench Wildfire Mitigation Project, please stop by. The open house is free and open to the public.

Project Overview

The City of Pocatello plans to conduct wildfire fuels mitigation on approximately 71 acres of city-owned gullies located east of Satterfield Drive. The gullies are located off of Summit, Granite, Ridgewood, Shadowpines, and Satterfield Drive.

Primary Objective

Reduce the dense ladder fuels on city property in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas of the East Bench. This project includes removal of juniper trees and other vegetation through mastication, lop and scatter and piles. Trees will be thinned to groups of 1–6 trees with 20–30 feet between each group of trees. To see what this looks like, the "leave" trees are being flagged between Summit and Satterfield Drive. This work will help to reduce the potential of a significant wildfire.

Implementation

The project is set to start in mid-December 2022 and is anticipated to be completed by no later than March 1, 2023. The Pocatello Fire Department will burn the remaining slash piles when the weather conditions are favorable, most likely Winter 2023/Spring 2024.

Landowners adjacent o the project areas can expect to see and hear crews working, using tools such as chainsaws, masticators, and chippers during the work week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be a job foreman on site while work is being conducted.

Tree Removal on Private Property

If residents are interested in removing junipers on their own properties, High Country RC&D in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management has community assistance funds available on a first-come, first-served basis with a cost share of up to 75% to address the removal of hazardous fuels on private land. To receive additional information, email hcountryrcd@gmail.com.