BLM announces North Central Montana District winter season prescribed fire plans
LEWISTOWN, Mont. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) North Central Montana District plans to conduct prescribed burning of up to five woody pile units throughout the winter months, as conditions allow.
Burning will take place when fuel moisture and weather conditions support safe operations and ensure that treatment objectives can be achieved.
During and after the burns, smoke may be visible from surrounding areas as remaining materials continue to consume.
These prescribed fires are an important step in reducing fuels generated from recent hazardous-fuel reduction projects. Fuels-reduction treatments help restore a healthy, diverse, fire-resilient forest structure by reducing stand density, conifer encroachment and fuel loads.
The following district fuels projects are slated to occur this winter, depending on favorable conditions:
Lewistown Field Office
The Limekiln pile burn area is in Fergus County, approximately seven miles north of Lewistown near Judith Mountain Lodge. Piles cover an area of 325 acres.
The Judith Peak pile burn unit is also in the Judith Mountains along the road system going to Judith Peak. These piles were created during the development of a fuel break project in the summer of 2024. Piles cover an area of 167 acres.
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
The Butch Camp pile burn unit consists of 29 acres of hand piles created during a fuels-reduction project around the Butch Camp administration site. The unit is in Southern Blaine County, Montana, approximately 25 miles northwest of the DY Junction.
The Kipp Campground pile burn unit is one large machine pile created from fall-hazard cottonwood trees that were removed for public safety. The location of the pile is in the large field next to the James Kipp Campground, which closes for the winter on Dec. 1.
Malta Field Office
The Zortman/Landusky Mine pile burn is in Phillips County, approximately 3 miles northwest of Zortman, Montana. The work area covers 17 acres and contains about 300 piles.
Learn more about the BLM’s Fuels Management Program on the BLM website and the National Interagency Fire Center’s website.
-BLM-
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.