SWAN VALLEY - The Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct fall prescribed fire projects on the Swan Lake, Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger, Tally Lake and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts when weather, fuel conditions and air quality become favorable. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Flathead Valley depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions.
Each project follows a Prescribed Fire Burn Plan. The prescribed fire projects are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects or to escape as a wildland fire. The projects will follow Montana air quality standards and are coordinated with Montana State Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impacts of smoke to neighbors, cooperators and surrounding communities.
The project areas on the Swan Lake Ranger District include:
• Lindy Ridge & Swan Flats Prescribed Burn - The objective of the prescribed fire is to treat 1,104 acres in and adjacent to the Mission Mountains Wilderness to reduce crown fire potential, decrease flame lengths and spotting distance and, therefore, increase the probability that a natural ignition would stay within the wilderness boundary and fire could play its natural role on the landscape. More information will be forthcoming as the window of opportunity approaches.
• Huey Timber Sale - This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located within the Stoner Creek drainage near Blacktail Mountain west of Lakeside, MONTANA. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, vegetation regeneration and wildlife habitat improvement.
• Louie Timber Sale - This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located within the Truman Creek drainage near Blacktail Mountain south of Kila, MONTANA and west of Lakeside, MONTANA. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, vegetation regeneration and wildlife habitat improvement.
• Dewey Timber Sale – This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located within the Truman Creek and Wild Bill drainages near Blacktail Mountain south of Kila, Montana and west of Lakeside, Montana. These treatments will use prescribe fire for fuels reduction and vegetation regeneration.
• How Now Timber Sale – This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located on Six Mile Mountain north of Swan Lake and southeast of Bigfork. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, improve forest health and vegetation regeneration.
• Swan Valley Bottom Maintenance Burning – This project includes maintenance broadcast burning in previously treated timber harvest units located within the Swan Valley. Specific locations include the Lion Creek Drainage and Meadow Creek area. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, large ungulate winter range improvement and improve forest health.
For more information about these projects and those scheduled on the other districts, please contact the appropriate ranger station: Swan Lake Ranger District 406-837-7500; Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District 406-387-3800; Tally Lake Ranger District 406-758-5204 or the Spotted Bear Ranger District 406-758-5376
Follow the Flathead National Forest on Facebook and Twitter for more information about highly visible prescribed fire ignition visit https://www.facebook.com/discovertheflathead and https://twitter.com/FlatheadNFGeneral forest information can be found online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/flathead.
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