Hamilton, Montana (March 16, 2020) – Over the next several months, the Bitterroot National Forest is planning to implement numerous prescribed burning projects.  Fire crews will conduct the prescribed burns to reduce forest fuels, improve conditions within the Wildland Urban Interface, and restore characteristics of a fire-adapted ecosystem.  Timing of the burns will be dependent on favorable weather conditions.

All total, fire managers plan to burn approximately 8,735 acres this spring.  Smoke from the burns will likely be visible from West Fork Highway, East Fork Road near Sula, or Highway 93.  Treatment areas include:

Darby/Sula Ranger District – 6,723 acres are planned:

• Waddell Units, south of Lake Como (600 acres)
• Como/Horse Lick, south of Lost Horse and north of Lake Como (434 acres)  
• Trapper Bunkhouse, SW of Darby between Little Tin Cup & McCoy Creeks (816 acres)
• Cameron Blue/Tepee, along East Fork road between Guide Creek and Tolan Ridge (4,053 acres)
• Nee Mee Poo/Tolan, Off Hwy 93 south of Sula and up East Fork SE of Ross Hole  (pile burning – 614 acres)
• Canyon Creek, west of Hamilton and south of Blodgett Canyon (pile burning – 206 acres)

West Fork Ranger District – 1,230 acres are planned:

• Lower West Fork, south of Trapper Creek and north of Lloyd Creek  (279 acres)    
• School Point Ecoburn, west of Ward Creek and east of Halford Creek  (551 acres)
• Soda Springs Ecoburn, east of Little West Fork and west of Halford Creek along Forest Road 5633B (185 acres)
• Frazier Maintenance, along West Fork road near Triple Creek Ranch (215 acres)

Stevensville Ranger District –782 acres are planned:

• Larry Bass Units, Bass Creek Recreation Area north of Stevensville (250 acres)
• Sweeney Creek Units, west of Florence (202 acres)
• 3 Saddle Units, east of Stevensville off Ambrose Road #428 (330 acres)

The burns will only be ignited if operational safety, fuel moisture, weather conditions, and air quality parameters can be attained.  Fire crews will monitor all burns after ignition to ensure that they stay within prescribed boundaries until declared out.

Major roads in the area will be signed and local residents who have requested prior notification will be contacted in advance of burning.

Low intensity prescribed fires have several objectives including:

• Maintain forest health and ecosystem restoration
• Improve wildlife habitat – many plants respond favorably to fire providing new food sprouts for wildlife.
• Reduce the potential of large, high intensity wildfires by reducing the amount of downed fuel to burn.
• Post-harvest slash treatment – reduce residual slash created by thinning operations and personal use firewood cutting.

Spring prescribed fire activities normally take place in April and May and burning is highly weather dependent.  A mosaic pattern of burned and unburned areas will remain after treatments.

For public safety, recreationists are asked to be aware of fire crews and vehicles in these areas.  The public is also asked to avoid traveling in prescribed burn units while crews are present, as well as trails and roads directly adjacent to the units.  Please take caution as roads and trails used as control lines for the burn could be temporarily impacted by low intensity fire and smoke.

Fire managers plan to conduct the burning as quickly as possible to limit impacts to recreational users and the general public.  Overnight, there is potential for smoke to settle into the bottom of valleys and corridors that may cause short term smoke impacts for residents and travel.  The smoke is typically visible for a short duration, 1-2 days, and managed to minimize impacts to communities.

For burn updates, maps, and photos of project areas visit www.inciweb.nwcg.gov or the Bitterroot National Forest website www.fs.usda.gov/bitterroot or ‘Like Us’ on Facebook www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF

For more information about specific burns or to be placed on a pre-burning notification list, please contact your local ranger district.

• Darby/Sula Ranger District – 406-821-3913
• West Fork Ranger District – 406-821-3269
• Stevensville Ranger District – 406-777-5461
• Forest Supervisor’s Office, Hamilton – 406-363-7100