BOISE, Idaho -- The Boise National Forest has closed Bogus Road from mile marker 9.8 to the paved parking lot at Bogus Basin on weekdays as part of a forest health initiative. The closure is not just for cars, but also for bikers and hikers.
The closure, which affects the road and surrounding forest land, will remain in effect until June 20 to accommodate the 1,300-square-acre Deer Point project, which is focused on wildfire mitigation.
"It's about forest health. It's about building resiliency to wildfires," said Mike Williamson, Boise Forest Service spokesperson.
Recreational activities, including mountain biking and hiking, are also not allowed during the closure periods while contractors work in the area. All trails are marked if they are closed, and Williamson said they are urging people to follow those signs - and not go in or around areas that are being worked on.
"They're going to be falling trees, yarding trees, stacking trees," Williamson said. "The contractor needs the space and time to do their work effectively and to do it safely."
The project addresses three main concerns, with wildfire prevention being the primary focus.
"We live in a wildfire-dominated landscape," Williamson said. "It's not about reducing the risk of wildfires. It's about reducing the risk of having catastrophic, high-intensity wildfires."
By removing fire-prone trees, the Forest Service aims to create conditions that limit severe damage and improve firefighting capabilities.
"There's likely to be wildfires up there, but by using active forest management, we can create a situation where the landscape is more resilient to having a fire, and it gives our firefighters an opportunity to attack the fire more effectively," Williamson said.
The second is to remove Douglas fir trees infected with dwarf mistletoe.
"There's quite a bit of dwarf mistletoe infection out there, so by removing those diseased trees, we're sort of thinning out the forest," Williamson said.
The third component focuses on eliminating hazardous trees near recreational trails.
"There's a lot of recreation infrastructure up there. It's a priority for us to protect that," Williamson said.