Kootenai National Forest officials plan fall burns

The Kootenai National Forest is planning to conduct fall prescribed fire projects when weather, fuel conditions and air quality become favorable. 

All projects follow a prescribed fire burn plan and are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects. Prescribed fire is an essential tool for promoting resilient fire-adapted landscapes and mitigating wildfire risk across forests.

During prescribed fire operations, smoke may be visible from various places across the forest depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions.

Please drive carefully and slow down as smoke may impact nearby roads. Firefighters and equipment may be on or near these roads during implementation.

There is the potential that residual smoke may be visible for several days after initial ignition. 

These projects will comply with Montana air quality standards and guided by the Montana/Idaho State Airshed Group to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators, and surrounding communities. 

Air quality is an important value that is considered by land and fire managers during every phase of prescribed fire, from planning and mitigation to day-of implementation.

The following release includes the summary of planned prescribed fire operations across the forest for the fall of 2024. 

Site specific notifications and updates will be posted closer to actual dates of ignition.

Oct. 1 is the beginning of open burn season for landowners within the Kootenai National Forest boundary, unless you are within the Libby Outdoor Burning Control Area (LOBCA) where no burning is allowed during the fall season. 

For more information on residential burning and LOBCA, please visit www.fireadaptedkootenai.org.

Forest-wide Pile Burning: These projects consist of pile burning at administrative sites, developed recreation sites, dispersed recreation sites, and various other locations not shown on the attached map to reduce hazardous fuels created from snow breakage, windthrow, hazard tree removal, fire suppression operations and hazardous fuels reduction projects across the forest.

Cabinet Ranger District

Dry Creek Project - This project includes burning piles near Bull River and South Fork Dry Creek area. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and diseases, reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface and improve big game forage.

Elk Creek Wildlife Project and Elk Rice Timber Sale - These projects include pile burning timber harvest units located within the Elk Creek drainage south of Heron. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to create landscapes that are resilient to disturbance, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface.

Helwick Project - This project includes broadcast burning timber harvest units located within the Big Beaver Creek drainage south of Trout Creek. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and diseases, reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface, and improve big game forage.

Purple Marten Project - This project includes pile burning timber harvest units in the Marten Creek drainage northwest of Trout Creek. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase forage for big game species and reduce hazardous fuels.

Springboard Project - This project includes pile burning timber harvest units located across from the Cabinet Ranger District Office northwest of Trout Creek. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and diseases, reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface, and improve big game forage.

Libby Ranger District

East Reservoir Project - This project includes both broadcast and pile burning near the Cripple Horse and Canyon Creek drainages northeast of Libby. These treatments will use prescribed fire to create landscapes that are resilient to disturbance, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce hazardous fuels. 

Flower Creek Forest Health and Hazardous Fuels Project - This project includes burning machine generated piles in timber harvest units located within the Flower Creek drainage south of Libby. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and disease, reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface and other areas where values are at risk, and maintain or improve watershed conditions. 

Hoodoo Wildfire Resiliency Project - This project includes burning machine generated piles located near Big Cherry Creek and Smearl Creek areas. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and disease, reduce hazardous fuels within the wildland urban interface and other areas where values are at risk and maintain or improve watershed conditions.

Miller West Fisher Project - This project includes broadcast and pile burning both timber harvest units and natural fuels units located near the Miller and West Fisher Creek drainages south of Libby. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to create landscapes that are resilient to disturbance, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce hazardous fuels.

West Surprise Vegetation Management Project - This project includes burning machine generated piles located near Deer Creek and Tamarack Creek areas. These treatments will use prescribed fire to increase resilience to insects and disease, and reduce the risk of wildfire to surrounding private, state, and federal lands.

Rexford/Fortine Ranger District

Caribou Fire Salvage and Restoration - This project includes pile burning within the West Kootenai vicinity northwest of Eureka. These treatments will use prescribed fire to protect the health and safety of the public, restore portions of the landscape burned by the Caribou wildfire and reduce hazardous fuel

Galton Project - This project includes pile burning near the Grave Creek area north of Fortine. These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce fuels within the wildland urban interface, improve wildlife habitat and re-introduce fire to forested ecosystems.

Gateway Ecological Restoration Project - Pile burning will be used in the Gateway area north of Eureka. These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce surface fuels, stimulate the growth of forage and improve the overall health of the forest.

Marston Bugs Project - This project includes broadcast burning near Martin Lake and pile burning near Dickey Lake southeast of Fortine. These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels, improve forest health, improve wildlife habitat, and restore landscapes affected by Douglas-fir bark beetle infestations.

Pinkham Meadow Project - This project includes pile burning areas all throughout the Pinkham Meadow project area located south of Rexford and Eureka, and west of Fortine and Trego. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels, improve forest health, and improve wildlife habitat.

Tenmile Sterling Fire Salvage Project - This project includes pile burning in the Tenmile Creek and Pinkham Mountain areas south of Eureka. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to protect the health and safety of the public, restore portions of the landscape burned by the Tenmile and Sterling Complex wildfires and reduce hazardous fuels.

Young-Dodge Project - This project includes pile burning in the West Kootenai vicinity northwest of Eureka. These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels, which decreases the likelihood of large stand-replacing wildfires, and restore characteristic vegetation patterns, structure, and patch sizes.

Three Rivers Ranger District: Buckhorn - This project includes a large natural fuels ecosystem management burn unit on Rock Candy Mountain northwest of Yaak. This treatment will use prescribed fire to promote resilient vegetation conditions, improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels while reducing the potential for high intensity wildfire.

Lower Yaak, O’Brien, Sheep Project - This project includes broadcast burning timber harvest units located near Kootenai Mountain east of Troy. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to promote resilient vegetation conditions, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce hazardous fuels while reducing the potential for high intensity wildfire.

South Yaak Fire Salvage Project - This project includes pile burning around Yaak Mountain northwest of Troy. These treatments will use prescribed fire to reduce hazards, from the South Yaak Fire, that are a threat to human health and safety.  

Starry Goat Project - This project includes broadcast and pile burning near the Ruby Creek and Star Creek drainages northwest of Troy. 

These treatments will use prescribed fire to promote resilient vegetation conditions, improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels while reducing the potential for high intensity wildfire.

For more information about these projects, please contact the appropriate Ranger Station:

- Cabinet Ranger District: (406) 827-3533

- Libby Ranger District: (406) 293-7773

- Rexford/Fortine Ranger District: (406) 296-2536

- Three Rivers Ranger District: (406) 295-4693