Flathead Forest plans 14 prescribed fires this fall
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 41 minutes AGO
Nick Aschenwald, with the Montana DNRC, uses a drip torch to ignite bunch grass during a prescribed burn at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Held in conjunction with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the prescribed fire is aimed at benefiting the park's grassland habitat, including native plants and the wildlife species that frequent the area.(Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead National Forest plans to conduct 14 prescribed fire operations this fall.
The work may continue through winter as weather conditions allow. The burn operations are intended to reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
Forest officials say they conduct the burns only during favorable weather, air quality and fuel conditions.
Prescribed fire is planned for the following areas:
Swan Valley Bottom Broadcast – 50 acres (Lake and Missoula County, National Forest Road 124, Swan Valley)
Cold Jim Broadcast and Piles- 100 acres (Lake County, National Forest Road 888, Swan Valley)
Dayton Piles- 500 acres (Flathead County, National Forest Road 2990, Blacktail Mountain)
Bug Creek Piles- 700 acres (Flathead County, National Forest Road 498/9745, Crane Mountain)
Holland Lake Piles- 5 acres (Missoula County, National Forest Road 44, Holland Lake)
Napa Point and Van Lake Piles- 25 acres (Lake County, National Forest Road 10505/558, Swan Valley)
Beaver Creek Piles- 600 acres (Missoula County, National Forest Road 906, Swan Valley)
Spotted Bear Mountain – 12 acres (Flathead County, Spotted Bear)
Spotted Bear River – 32 acres (Flathead County, Spotted Bear)
Horse Ridge – 200 acres (Flathead County, Spotted Bear)
Frozen Moose Piles – 50 acres (Flathead County, North Fork)
Crystal Cedar Piles – 15 acres (Flathead County, Lower North Fork)
Betty Baptiste Piles – 20 acres (Flathead County, East Side Hungry Horse Reservoir)
Lake Five Piles – 140 acres (Flathead County, Coram/West Glacier)
Additional hand and machine pile burning across the Flathead National Forest.