Fall prescribed burns planned on the Flathead National Forest

Release Date: 

Kalispell, MT, September 6, 2024 — The Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct fall prescribed burning when weather, fuel conditions, and air quality become favorable. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Flathead Valley depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions. 

Each prescribed burn follows a Prescribed Fire Burn Plan. The prescribed fire areas are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects, or to escape as a wildland fire. Burning will follow Montana air quality standards and coordinated with Montana State Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators, and surrounding communities.

Continue reading for descriptions of the prescribed burning locations organized by Ranger District and see the attached area map. Updates on project dates will be made to the Flathead National Forest Facebook page as burn windows become available: https://www.facebook.com/discovertheflathead/

Spotted Bear Ranger District

The units listed below around the Spotted Bear Ranger Station are being burned to reduce fuel loading, maintain, and increase winter range forage and reintroduce fire into the ecosystem. Most units are a mix of grassy openings, shrub fields and timber patches. The objective is to reduce conifer encroachment while retaining key thermal cover timber patches. Smoke will be visible from the southern end of Hungry Horse Reservoir and the Spotted Bear District Office area.

  • Aerial Ignition - Spotted Bear River Units E, M, N 50, 65, 66 and Silver Mule units 48 & 49 – 515 acres.
  • Hand Ignition - Silver Mule Unit 71, and Spotted Bear Mountain Unit 300 – 48 acres total.

Swan Lake Ranger District

  • Cold Jim Timber Sale – This project includes broadcast burning in 27 acres of timber harvest units located within the Swan Valley in the vicinity of Cold and Jim creeks. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, and vegetation regeneration.
  • Swan Valley Bottom Maintenance Burning – This project includes maintenance broadcast burning in previously treated, 250-acre area of timber harvests located within the Swan Valley. Specific location includes the Lion Creek Drainage and along Forest Road #5383. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, large ungulate winter range and forest health improvement.

Tally Lake Ranger District

  • Dateline — This project consists of three units for a total of 90 acres. These units are in the upper Good Creek area. The units are being burned to reduce slash and debris created by timber harvest.
  • Taylor Hell Roaring – This project includes 300-acres north of Whitefish along the divide north of Whitefish Mountain Resort.  The prescribed fire is located on the uphill side of Forest Road #9790. The primary objective of this burn is to reduce the risk and severity of large-scale stand-replacing fires and protection of values at risk (structures and communication sites) within the wildland-urban interface.
  • Whitefish Municipal Watershed — Two units planned for a total of 200 acres are planned to burn natural fuels and reduce the likelihood of crown fire. The project will reduce stand density, improve mule deer and elk habitat, and prepare areas for planting of White Bark pine. Units will be selected based on conditions at the time of ignition.  Aerial ignition will utilize a helicopter. The burn will be highly visible from Whitefish and the greater Flathead Valley. More information will be forthcoming as the window of opportunity approaches.

Hungry Horse District

No Broadcast burning expected – Burning of piles and landings are expected around the district.

Pile Burning – Forest wide

These may include both landing and hand piles that are not identified on the map which may also be burned when conditions become favorable.

 

For more information about these projects, contact the appropriate Ranger Station:

Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District: 406/387-3800

Spotted Bear Ranger District: 406/758-5376

Swan Lake Ranger District: 406/837-7500

Tally Lake Ranger District: 406/758-5204

 

The image below is an area map of all planned prescribed burns. Please contact the districts above for more specific location details.

A map of the planned prescribed burn areas listed in the associated news releases. For specific location details, please call the ranger district where the burn is planned.