Superior National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations beginning this month, pending all required approvals. This work is expected to continue through June as weather conditions allow. Prescribed fires originate from a planned ignition in accordance with applicable laws, policies and regulations to meet specific objectives to reduce overgrown vegetation and help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires. Maps for the prescribed fires will be posted to Inciweb (https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/) and the forest’s fire webpage (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/fire/prevention/prescribed-fire).
Prescribed fires planned for the east side (Gunflint and Tofte Districts) of the forest include:
- Fiddle Creek (695 acres) is located approximately 13 miles up the Gunflint Trail and five miles west off the South Brule Road in Cook County.
- Hungry (81 acres) is located approximately one mile northwest of the Devils Track Campground and boat access off Cook County Road 8-Devils Track Road.
- Sunfish Lake (775 acres) is located south of Greenwood Lake off the Gunflint Trail. This unit is combined Forest Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources management land.
- Kawishiwi Lakes (1,911 acres) is in the Kawishiwi Lakes Roadless Area approximately 18 miles north of Tofte at the intersection of the Sawbill Trail and the Perent Lake Road.
- Shack Units and Elixir (142 acres) are approximately eight miles northeast of Isabella, along the Wanless Road.
- Tail (456 acres) is located approximately 15 miles up the Sawbill Trail north of Tofte.
- Tanner (226 acres) is located approximately six miles east of Isabella, off Forest Road 172 and Forest Road 174 in Lake County.
Prescribed fires planned for the west side (Kawishiwi, LaCroix and Laurentian District) of the forest include:
- Integrator (139 acres) is located near the junction of County Road 65 and MN State Highway 73, west of Lake Leander approximately 14 miles northwest of Virginia, MN.
- Fourteen (87 acres) is located south of Lake Leander, Lake Fourteen, and County Road 65 approximately 10 miles northwest of Virginia, MN.
- Jack Pine Bay (48 acres) is located on the south side of MN State Highway 1 approximately 10 miles southeast of Cook, MN.
- Murphy Lake (80 acres) is located near the Toimi area, 2 miles south of Murphy Lake and 4 miles east of Brimson, MN.
- Norwegian Island (9 acres) is located on the west end of Norwegian Bay of Lake Vermilion, north of Cook, MN.
- Lisa and Rangeline Creek (226 acres) are located along County Road 116 (Echo Trail) east of Lake Jeanette, approximately 24 miles northeast of Orr, MN.
- Big Bull (29 acres) is located south of County Road 116 (Echo Trail) along the Moose Loop South Forest Road 464, approximately 28 miles northeast of Orr, MN
- Geraldine (285 acres) is located 0.5 miles west of the North Arm Road, east of Geraldine Lake, approximately 7 miles northeast of Ely, MN.
- Fenske (136 acres) is located along County Road 116 (Echo Trail) approximately 6 miles north of Ely, MN.
- Deer Ridge (37 acres) is located off Mushroom Island Road and White Iron Lake approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Ely, MN.
- Bear Island (121 acres) is located on Bear Island Lake approximately 10 miles south of Ely, MN and 1 mile east of St. Louis County Highway 21.
Areas around prescribed fires may be closed to the public for several days for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For air quality information, visit AirNow (https://fire.airnow.gov/) or download the AirNow app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights if you encounter smoke on the road.
Forest Service fire staff will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled. Additional considerations include funding, national preparedness level(https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildlandfire/prepared.shtml#) , availability of resources and more.
Stay informed about these prescribed fires with individual maps and detailed information when scheduled:
- forest’s website alerts: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/alerts
- social media channels: Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/SuperiorNF and Xhttps://x.com/SuperiorNF
- InciWeb, the interagency incident information system https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/
- Sign up for e-mail notices: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/keep-in-touch
Zone and individual maps will be posted when scheduled. County emergency management and MN DNR officials will be notified when burning begins.
Maps of the prescribed fire areas will be posted to the Superior NF website and individual prescribed fire information will be posted to the Superior NF Facebook and X pages. Fire staff will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
