Prescribed burns on public forestlands and some smoke activity from the Copper King Fire east of Thompson Falls are likely responsible for the hazy skies in the Flathead Valley over the past couple days.

That said, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s air censor in Columbia Falls has continued to register low levels of air pollutants. Department air quality meteorologist Kristin Martin added that the smoke will likely settle down as a low-pressure system enters the region this weekend.

“We are seeing morning inversions, so we are getting some particulate matter trapped” in the valley, she said. “But we are expecting a trough coming in this weekend that should clear things out pretty good.”

Lolo National Forest Plains District Ranger David Hattis said crews have noted some smoke coming off the 28,000-acre Copper King Fire as temperatures reached into the upper 70s and low 80s this week.

“A portion is not 100 percent contained, and we do have a little fire activity still going on within the burn perimeter,” he said. “We’ll most likely see a little smoke coming off that burn area until the snow flies.”

The fire is on patrol status and not considered a threat, he added, and crews are continuing to monitor lingering fire activity and keeping fire engines on standby.

A prescribed burn has also been taking place in Lolo National Forest on land west of Hot Springs. Hattis said the fuels reduction project spans about 160 acres and should wrap up today.

Additional prescribed burning activity has occurred on Department of Natural Resources and Conservation land in the Swan Valley and on Flathead National Forest land on Blacktail Mountain.

An ambitious prescribed burn schedule in the Flathead National Forest has been in part hampered by an especially wet end to summer. While precipitation in the valley during the last couple months has remained at or slightly below average, several cold fronts have dumped significant rainfall in the North Fork area where an 1,100-acre prescribed burn had been planned.

Hungry Horse District Ranger Rob Davies said a fire crew had hoped the warm weather might have dried conditions enough to begin the Red Whale fuels reduction project Wednesday, but crew members were unable to get it started. That project will likely be postponed until Fall 2017, he said.

To view a map of planned and ongoing prescribed burns in the area, visit smokemu.org/map.cfm. Additional details on each project can be viewed by right-clicking the flame icons on the map.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.