Colt Fire showcases purpose of timber management

Showcasing a real-life project where the Colt Fire and a forestry management unit interacted was the purpose of a tour held Tuesday, Sept. 26 on the burn area. Attendees included regional Forest Service, DNRC and BLM personnel plus members of the Montana Forest Action Advisory Council.

"Fire doesn't stop at fence lines and property boundaries, and forest and fire management shouldn't either," said Quinn Carver, Lolo Forest Service district ranger. "We always get more done working together than we do apart."

The Colt Summit fuels project began in 2014 to make that portion of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) more fire resilient in case of forest fires. Forest thinning in specified areas was done by Pyramid Mountain Lumber to clean out ladder fuels, remove diseased beetle-killed trees and add space to restrict the likelihood of crown fires.

The project, slowed by lawsuits from environmental groups, finished in 2018.

Started by lightning July 17, 2023 the Colt Fire burned 7,154 acres this summer. As the fire spread to the east, causing homeowners at Lake Alva to evacuate, the fire came upon areas that were recently treated in the Colt Summit Project.

At the junction of fire and treated areas, the fire ran out of fuel from the forest crown and ladder fuels, becoming a ground fire that was more easily managed by fire crews and eventually becoming part of the containment line along the east side of the fire.

Today the treatment areas from the Colt Summit Project are populated with ponderosa pine, larch, a few douglas fir, huckleberry, kinnikinick, bear grass, grouseberry, fireweed and other plants.

The tour was arranged by the Montana Forest Action Council (MFAC) in coordination with its quarterly meeting held in Missoula. The MFAC was formed in accordance with Farm Bill requirements for all states to develop Forest Action Plans. One of the roles of MFAC is to develop collaborative working patterns between agencies for forest management.

The Montana Forest Action Plan aims to: Improve forest resilience to disturbance from fire,

windthrow, insects and diseases, drought, invasive species, human use, and climate change through management that ensures forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, local economic and recreation opportunities, aesthetics, and other benefits for current and future generations of Montanans, according to its website.

The tour's first stop overlooked the Seeley-Swan Valley from Forest Service Road 646. Uphill was the fire containment line. Below was a stand of larch carpeted with fireweed that had been treated a few years ago.

In addition to wildfire mitigation, fuels reductions projects help wildlife, Carver said.

"From a wildlife standpoint, forest management through forest treatment and prescribed fires allows for a more continuous food supply for wildlife than catastrophic fire events," Carver said. "An increase in food supply helps wildlife conserve energy and increase survivability."

"It's a no-brainer if you think about the physics of fire and how it spreads," John Bailey, Oregon State University Forestry College professor and spotted owl habitat researcher said. "If you return the forest to low-fuel conditions, you have more surface fires than crown fires. You have more tree survival, which has less impact on the owls."

Tour participants discussed the importance of communication with nearby landowners and communities in the Seeley-Swan and Blackfoot area.

'We know people don't want to be surprised with smoke and upcoming forest projects," Carver said.

For individuals seeking assistance with forest management, there are resources available through hazardous fuels funding to incentivize landowners to do fuels reductions work, added Ali Ulwelling, DNRC MFAC implementation coordinator. Local organizations Swan Valley Connections and Blackfoot Challenge can help people with forest management questions on private ground.