Prescribed fires planned in BLM North Central Montana District
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the Upper Missouri River Breaks National
Monument. (Photo by Jonathan Moor)
(LEWISTOWN, Mont.) – Prescribed fires are often designed to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest and rangeland health conditions.
The Bureau of Land Management is planning to implement three prescribed fires in the North Central Montana District over the next 2-3 months as weather permits.
The Woods Bottom Prescribed Fire, administered by the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, will remove surface vegetation on approximately 400 acres of BLM –managed rangelands. The project is approximately three miles south of Loma, Mont. The objective of the burn is to remove all surface fuel to enhance the effectiveness of converting decadent stands of crested wheatgrass to native species.
The BLM Lewistown Field Office will implement the 10,700-acre Crooked Creek Unit D Prescribed Fire Project 30 Miles northeast of Winnett, Mont., and the 15-acre Limekiln Canyon Prescribed Fire Project seven miles northeast of Lewistown, Mont. The primary objective of the Crooked Creek Unit D Prescribed Fire is to reduce fuel loads while improving wildlife habitat and grazing forage. Operational objectives include a reduction in stand density and pine and juniper encroachment.
If fuel moisture and weather conditions allow, these burns will be conducted by fire personnel from several federal, state and local agencies, as well as BLM staff from the local offices. For more information, call BLM Fuels Specialist 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.