Butte Field Office
| Contacts: | David Abrams 406-533-7617 |
BLM To Reduce Fire Hazards In Scratchgravel Hills
The Bureau of Land Management will soon begin vegetation treatment in the Scratchgravel Hills north of Helena to reduce wildfire hazards and to provide for increased public and firefighter safety in areas where development mingles with wildland vegetation.
The project is in accordance with the Scratchgravel Hills Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Project Record of Decision (dated Jan. 9, 2008) and will start this month, continuing until the project is completed.
The work will begin in approximately 300 acres along the road systems on the west end of the Scratchgravel Hills. The public can expect to see sections of road closed for public safety while the vegetation treatment is occurring.
Forested stands will be mechanically treated, removing trees in all size classes. Vegetation treatments will remove conifer encroachment to restore an open grass/sage savannah, where wildland fire would be limited to a surface fire. Conifers over one foot in height and up to 19.9 inches DBH (diameter at breast height) will be removed and/or masticated on site, leaving a mosaic of large trees.
For more information, including a map of the project area, please call Charles Tuss, project leader, at the BLM’s Butte Field Office at (406) 533-7634.
The BLM manages more land - 253 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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