A spruce bark beetle is seen on the underside of a piece of bark taken from logs stacked near Central Peninsula Landfill on Thursday, July 1, 2021, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

A spruce bark beetle is seen on the underside of a piece of bark taken from logs stacked near Central Peninsula Landfill on Thursday, July 1, 2021, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Prescribed burns will produce visible smoke near highways

Burns are part of ongoing spruce beetle mitigation efforts

Prescribed burns around the Chugach National Forest will produce smoke visible from several points along the Sterling and Seward highways in the coming months and through the spring, a media advisory from the U.S. Forest Service last week says.

The burns are part of “ongoing efforts” to mitigate the hazards of spruce beetle damage, the release says. The work will lessen the potential for a wildfire and reduce the severity of a possible fire.

According to the advisory, the forest service will collaborate with the National Weather Service and the State Department of Environmental Conservation to schedule burns under conditions favorable to smoke dispersion.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Smoke may be seen near the Sterling Highway near Milepost 53 from Russian River Campground, the K’beq’ Cultural Heritage Interpretive Site and Resurrection Pass South Trailhead. Smoke may also be seen near Milepost 45 from Quartz Creek Road and Milepost 41 from Dave’s Creek Power Substation.

Near the Seward Highway, smoke may be seen near Milepost 24 from Kenai Lake Work Center, near Milepost 33-37 from “Avalanche Acres,” near Milepost 39-42 from Devil’s Creek Trailhead and near Milepost 46 from Tenderfoot Campground.

Finally, smoke may be seen near Hope, from Hope Point Trailhead.

“Motorists and personnel in these areas should plan accordingly and exercise caution.”

Updated information about prescribed burns can be found at the Chugach National Forest’s social media accounts on Facebook or X, formerly known as Twitter.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks during a meeting of the UA Board of Regents at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pitney: UA, KPC seeing momentum, attendance growth

The university president described KPC as “a leader of the pack” in enrollment growth at the university

University of Alaska Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins speaks during a meeting at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Where does this end?’: University of Alaska to strip diversity and inclusivity language from programs, policies

The board was clear during the meeting that they were responding to pressure from the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich holds a telephone town hall on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich)
Murkowski, Begich host telephone town halls to address constituent concerns

Both events were inaccessible to some, who grew frustrated at technical problems

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Man found dead near Kasilof roadway on Tuesday

He was found off Pollard Loop Road near Reindeer Lane in the Kasilof area.

Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton gives a tour to students during Job Shadow Day at Kenai Fire Department in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Roddy Craig/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai students try on careers for Job Shadow Day

Roughly 100 students from Kenai Central High School scattered to more than 30 businesses to get a feel for the workforce.

A 2015 Ford Explorer that was stolen from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce before crashing into a tree near Wells Fargo Bank is loaded onto a tow truck in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Car stolen, crashed in Kenai

The car was reportedly taken from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Most Read