<<Back to Miles City Dispatch

Fuels Management

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
Resource Management Plan (RMP) Status Reports

Media & Public Fire Information

Predictive Services
Weather
Intelligence
Fuels/Fire Danger
Dispatch/Logistics
Dispatch
Administrative
Equipment
Aviation
Miles City Fire Cache
Other
Mitigation, Education and Prevention
Fuels Management
Federal Employment Opportunities and Training
Safety Management
Local Information and Stations
Cooperating Agencies

Miles City Field Office Fuels Program

The Miles City Field Office Fuels Program is located at the Miles City Field Office at 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, Montana. A Fuels Program Manager and a Fuels Technician are located there.

South Dakota Field Office Fuels Program  

The South Dakota Field Office Fuels Program is located at 310 Roundup Street, Belle Fourche, South Dakota. A Fuels Program Manager and an eight-person Fuels/Prescribed Fire Module are stationed in Belle Fourche.

Mission of Fuels Program

The fuels program develops, plans, and implements fuel management projects and assists other disciplines such as forestry, range, and wildlife. The fuels management group also acts as advisors to other agencies and private landowners when requested.

Current and past projects include thinning and burning in the wildland/urban interface, large-scale prescribed fire for habitat and range improvement, thinning and burning to restore and protect cottonwood river bottoms and green ash draws, and slash management on timber sales.

The mission of the fuels program is to develop and provide self-sufficient, multi-skilled fuels and fire professionals with a primary commitment to fuels and prescribed fire operations and planning.  The primary priority and purpose is to develop the program in the areas of fuels, prescribed fire, and wildland fire.  The secondary priority is to assist other zones and agencies in fuels/prescribed fire projects.

The fuels program is implementing numerous project/treatments to reduce hazardous forest fuels in and around wildland urban interface areas.  The treatments include commercial thinning, non-commercial thinning, prescribed fire, post-fire fuel treatments, and fire containment zone construction.

The fuels program goals and objectives are to 

  • reduce forest density and fuel loading;
  • reduce risk of uncharacteristically intense fire;
  • reduce risk to life, property and natural resources;
  • increase safety to fire suppression crews;
  • develop sustainable forest conditions;
  • restore natural ecological systems;
  • work closely with interagency partners in developing and implementing all fuels treatment activities.

The fuels program is responsible for implementing numerous treatment activities, which include:

  • project layout,
  • project monitoring, thinning, piling slash, burning slash piles, and
  • act as project inspectors and contracting officer’s representative on contract work being accomplished.