Bureau of Land Management plans to burn piles from three active forest management projects this winter in north central Montana
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(LEWISTOWN, Mont.) – Prescribed fire is one way the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) actively manages the landscape to promote healthy, resilient forests and rangelands. By removing the buildup of hazardous fuels, prescribed fires also reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildland fires.
The North Moccasins pile burn will consist of burning piles of logging residue from previous timber sales. During the logging operation, non-merchantable material was piled along the road and firewood was available to the public. The piles are located 16 miles north of Lewistown within the North Moccasins Mountains.
The North Fork pile burn will clean up landing piles resulting from logging operations on BLM-managed lands. Burning of these piles will also aid in the preparation for an upcoming prescribed fire. The pile burning will occur about ten miles northeast of White Sulphur Springs on Jamison Trail, north of Highway 12 in Meagher County.
The Lake Bowdoin pile burn will clean up invasive Russian olive trees that were removed to improve riparian vegetation and improve nutrient and moisture availability to native vegetation in the area. These piles are located about 15 miles east of Malta, north of Lake Bowdoin along old US Highway 2.
All three pile burning activities will take place when there is a significant amount of snow present in the project area. Burning will last for one to three days once initiated. Smoke may be visible in the area up to two weeks following ignition due to the size of piles and debris. Following the pile burning, the BLM will rehabilitate all burn pile sites with native grass seed.
– BLM –
The BLM manages more than 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.