BLM Idaho Treats Thousands of Acres of Juniper

The following news post was published by the KMVT News Channel.

Thousands of acres of juniper have been treated by the Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls District, in improving sage grouse habitat on the Burley Landscape.

"There's a problem in the Burley Field office with juniper that was encroaching on the sagebrush step. It was starting to kind of take it out, phase it out, and overall it was eliminating the habitat for sage grouse," fire ecologist Dustin Smith said.

Check out this video of this conservation practice.

"Sometimes it helps with fire areas," fire prevention and information officer for the Bureau of Land Management, Kelsey Brizendine said. "Sometimes it's for fire breaks to help you know to help create those breaks in the fuels to help prevent fire spreads."

The project to improve the landscape has been a collaborative involving several organizations including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho Fish and Game, Idaho Department of Lands, Pheasants Forever, BLM and local permittees.