SWAN VALLEY - The Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct spring 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 be in compliance with 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 included on the Swan Lake Ranger District:
Wild Cramer and Huey Timber Sale - This project includes broadcast in natural stands and timber harvest units in units located within the Blacktail Mountain area 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, Condon Airstrip area and Holland Lake area. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, large ungulate winter range improvement and improve forest health.
Pile Burning – Hand or Machine piles are located in several locations within the Swan Valley and Bigfork Community and miscellaneous piles around the district as a result of but not limited to: logging, hazardous fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface, hazard tree removal, recreation site management and trail or road construction. These piles are burned to reduce the fuel loads in these areas. These piles are strategically burned based on their location, access and weather conditions.
For more information about these projects, contact the Swan Lake Ranger District at 406-837-7500.
For precise prescribed fire ignition dates and times, follow Flathead National Forest’s Facebook and Twitter profiles at https://www.facebook.com/discovertheflathead and https://twitter.com/FlatheadNF.
General forest information can be found online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/flathead.
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