Bitterroot National Forest to conduct hazardous fuels reduction southeast of Skalkaho Hwy

(Hamilton, MT, April 7, 2026) — The Bitterroot National Forest is planning prescribed burn operations April 8 to 10 southeast of the intersection of Skalkaho Hwy and Forest Road 75, pending all required approvals and suitable weather conditions. 

The prescribed burn area, called Hog Sapphire, is being conducted due to multiple fires that have burned in this area over the past five years, such as the Bowles Creek, Hog Trough, and Railroad-Daly Fires. This landscape is prone to burning intensely under the right conditions during the hot, dry summer months. Now is an ideal window to conduct this burn because conditions are favorable: it’s dry enough for effective ignition, the Bitterroot National Forest is not in drought conditions, and our soil moisture in most areas has registered above normal. Also, precipitation is forecasted for Sunday to help moderate activity afterward.

“By burning this area now, we can reduce available fuels and lower the likelihood of extreme wildfire behavior in the future,” said David Tingley, Bitterroot National Forest Fuels manager.  He said to make this an effective operation, up to 2,000 acres are planned. 

Ignitions are planned for April 8 through 10 and will utilize hand ignitions, an uncrewed aircraft system, and helicopters. All three options are planned to moderate fire behavior where necessary. UAS and helicopters are being used to keep firefighters from working in steep and hazardous terrain, to ignite efficiently, and to take advantage of the tight burn window. Firefighters will actively track and extinguish remaining heat starting Saturday along the primary control features of Skalkaho Hwy and Forest Road 75.

Hog Sapphire is a strategically advantageous area to burn right now because previous fires have created natural barriers and control features that can help contain operations.

The planned project area is 3,000 acres in total, but firefighters will likely accomplish 1,500 to 2,000 acres due to current available fuel.  Unburned acres will be evaluated for future prescribed fire opportunities.  To see the Hog Sapphire prescribed burn area, please visit the forest interactive prescribed burn map at http://tiny.cc/PrescribedBurnMap.

No roads or trails are expected to close. Smoke will be visible from the Bitterroot valley. Please do not report this smoke. The county and 911 are aware. For more detailed information about air quality, go to https://fire.airnow.gov online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights if you encounter smoke on the road. Road signs will be placed in designated areas. 

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours and days before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Stay informed about scheduled prescribed fires by visiting the forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF, our Bitterroot National Forest Information Fire linktree at https://linktr.ee/BitterrootFireInformation and the interagency incident information system  InciWeb.

We will notify county emergency management officials and post on the county burn permit site at https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/ when burning begins.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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