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Boise, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to develop a network of strategic fuel breaks along existing roads on public lands in southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon to conserve and protect sage-grouse habitat and improve firefighter capabilities.    

In order to assess the pros and cons of constructing the fuel break system, the BLM plans to begin an environmental impact statement for the Tri-State Fuel Break Project.  To start this process, the BLM is seeking public input on potential issues related to the proposal.

“The tri-state area is one of the largest intact areas of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat in the northern Great Basin, and unfortunately, it’s under severe threat,” said BLM Boise District Manager Lara Douglas.  “Improving our ability to respond to wildfires also gives us new tools and opportunities to protect sagebrush-steppe habitat.”

"The past five years have been tough on southeast Oregon in terms of wildfire," added Vale District Manager Don Gonzalez.  "Looking at fires like Long Draw and Buzzard, and last year’s Soda Fire, it's clear that we have to examine effective and cost-conscious ways of preventing and reducing the destructiveness of wildfires."

The primary threat to sagebrush-steppe habitat in the Great Basin has been identified as large fires, longer fire seasons, and increasing fire frequency which has also led to the spread of cheatgrass and other invasive plants.

Fuel breaks work by creating corridors of reduced fuels.  Designed around existing roads, these corridors inhibit fires by either slowing their progress or stopping them outright.  Improved roads enable firefighters to get to new fires faster.  It all adds up to better success at stopping wildfires before they grow into the high-intensity mega-fires that damage sagebrush communities.

The proposed fuel breaks would affect a small percentage of the 3.6 million-acre project area, whereas a single large wildfire can potentially alter hundreds of thousands of acres of sage-grouse habitat in a single burning period.   

A Notice of Intent published in today’s Federal Register details the proposed action, identifies some preliminary issues and begins a 30-day comment period. To allow adequate time for the public to review the materials and provide constructive comments during the holiday season, the comment period will be extended to 60 days and will end on Feb. 3, 2017. Public comments on issues to be analyzed in the EIS as well as possible alternatives are welcome and may be submitted by any of the following methods: 

• Email: blm_id_tristate@blm.gov
• Fax: 208-384-3489
• Surface mail:  3948 South Development Ave., Boise, Idaho 83705 

The BLM will host public scoping meetings for this project in January, with specific dates and locations to be announced shortly through local media, newspapers, social media outlets, and BLM websites. These websites also provide details and documents about the proposed project.