Butte Field Office
| Contacts: | David Abrams 406-533-7617 |
BLM Plans Burns Near Melrose, Townsend And Wise River
Residents in the Butte, Melrose, Divide, Radersburg, Townsend and Wise River areas may see smoke at times over the next few months as the Bureau of Land Management conducts prescribed burns, weather permitting.
The first project is Southwest Highlands, about seven miles northeast of Melrose and 20 miles south of Butte. The objective is to maintain or enhance vegetation structure and diversity to mimic the natural fire regime in fire-dependent grassland, shrub lands and dry forest communities.
Another project area is in the South Elkhorns, about five miles southeast of Radersburg. Previously-harvested units in Johnny’s Gulch will be burned to promote forest health and reduce fuels.
The last project area is Deep Creek, about 10 miles northwest of Wise River. Burning will reduce machine piles created by the Deep Creek Pine Beetle Project.
For more information on the projects, contact John Thompson or Charles Tuss at the BLM’s Butte Field Office at (406) 533-7600.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Butte Field Office 106 N. Parkmont Butte, MT 59701