Lake and area closures have been lifted in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, though fire restrictions remain in place HERE. The suppression of the recent Cummings Lake Fire has prompted some people to note that the Forest Service has changed its fire fighting policy.
The Brainerd Dispatch recently pointed out the striking difference between this latest fire and last year’s Pagami Creek Fire. The Pagami Creek fire started as a lightning strike in a bog, and was allowed to smolder for several days. But then unusual conditions prompted the fire to behave in “unprecedented” ways and grow to 100,000 acres.
According to the article, it cost the Forest Service $22 million to suppress. This year, tactics have changed to suppress fires before they spread so that valuable resources aren’t consumed by fire fighting. Read the Brainerd Dispatch article HERE, which reports that the new measures are temporary.
Update, September 14: New fires have sprouted in the Boundary Waters. Read more HERE.