Ashley National Forest setting prescribed fires

VERNAL (AP) — The Ashley National Forest will be conducting prescribed burns in the Yellowstone drainage, the Anthro Mountain area and along Reservation Ridge in the coming weeks.

District Ranger J.R. Kirkaldie says the fires are a way to reduce the chance of high-intensity wildfires, create fuel breaks and help restore habitat.

Fires will be started in the Yellowstone drainage, covering about 1,000 acres of sagebrush and pine. In the Anthro Mountain area, a burn will be started in about 500 acres of sagebrush.

Several slash piles across the district, including along Reservation Ridge, also will be burned.