SWAN VALLEY - The Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct fall prescribed fire projects 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. These projects will follow Montana air quality standards and coordinated with Montana State Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators and surrounding communities.
The project areas for the Swan Lake Ranger District include:
• Lindy Ridge 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 decrease 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.
• How Now Timber Sale – This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located on Sixmile Mountain, North of Swan Lake. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, and vegetation regeneration.
• Louie Timber Sale - This project includes broadcast burning in timber harvest units located within the Truman Creek drainage near Blacktail Mountain south of Kila and west of Lakeside. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, vegetation regeneration and wildlife habitat improvement.
• 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.
Prescribed burns will also be conducted on the Tally Lake, Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts. For more information about these projects, contact the appropriate Ranger Station: Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District 406-387-3800; Spotted Bear Ranger District 406-758-5376; Swan Lake Ranger District 406-837-7500; and Tally Lake Ranger District 406-758-5204.
For precise prescribed fire ignition dates and times, follow the Flathead National Forest Facebook and Twitter profiles. General Forest information can be found online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/flathead.
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