Missoula Field Office
| Contacts: | David Abrams, Public Affairs Specialist | |||
| dabrams@blm.gov | ||||
| (406) 490-0367 | ||||
| Steve Hancock or Michael Albritton | ||||
| (406) 329-3914 |
BLM Plans Prescribed Burns Northwest of Phillipsburg in Upper Rock Creek
MISSOULA (March 18, 2013) – Smoke may be visible periodically during the next three months in the mountains northwest of Phillipsburg as the Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office conducts two controlled burns.
The burns are in the Upper Willow Creek Drainage, a tributary of Rock Creek, about 11 miles northwest of Phillipsburg and are a total of 131 acres in size. The burns may take up to 14 days to complete and will take place when weather and fuel conditions are favorable, but could occur anytime over the next three months.
The controlled burns will reduce the amount of vegetation in the area. Fire specialists are attempting to restore the historic vegetative conditions characterized by large-diameter Douglas fir and lodgepole pine with intermittent openings of mountain big sagebrush. By removing the small, “ladder fuels” and down, woody debris, the risk of large wildfires is also reduced. The controlled burns are the final phase of ecological restoration treatments in the area that have included the salvage of beetle-killed lodgepole pine.
Firefighters will light the controlled burns by ground ignition using drip torches.
For more information about these controlled burns, contact Steve Hancock or Michael Albritton at the Missoula Field Office at (406) 329-3914.
For the latest BLM news and updates visit us on the web at: www.blm.gov/mt and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BLMMontana.
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.
Missoula Field Office 3255 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, MT 59804