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Bureau of Land Management plans to conduct prescribed fires this spring in north central Montana

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Bureau of Land Management

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Prescribed Burn(LEWISTOWN, Mont.) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to conduct two prescribed fires this spring in north central Montana. 

Prescribed fire is one way the 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 largest of the planned prescribed fires is the Crooked Creek Unit “K” Prescribed Fire, located on federal land about 30 miles northeast of the community of Winnett, Mont. The BLM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work in partnership to conduct this 7,300-acre burn, which includes 2,180 acres on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The primary objective of both this treatment and the 50-acre North Moccasin Prescribed Fire Project 16 miles north of Lewistown, Mont., is to reduce hazardous fuel loads while improving wildlife habitat and palatable forage.

Fire personnel from several federal, state and local agencies will conduct these burns over the next 2-3 months, weather and fuels conditions permitting.

For more information, call BLM Acting Fuels Program Manager Mike Solheim at 406-538-1976.

 

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.