KENAI — The Kenai Peninsula community of Sterling will be at less risk from future wildfires as government and Native corporation officials are planning a fuel break near the town.
The planned Sterling Fuel Break will be a series of forest cuttings around an 8.5-mile section of Sterling’s border with the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The break should stop forest fires from moving to Sterling by removing the most flammable trees and other vegetation from the surrounding area.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crews already started hand-cutting a portion of the break on refuge land in June and more work is expected to begin in late fall and continue until next summer.
