Prescribed burns conducted on Stillwater Forest

The Stillwater State Forest will be conducting prescribed fire operations this October and November.

The general location of the broadcast burning will be on Stryker Ridge, which is visible from both the Kalispell and Eureka areas. Smoke will most likely be present along the Highway 93 corridor through Olney and Stryker.

The objective of these prescribed fires is to reduce the amount of forest fuels on the ground and improve forest regeneration, according to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Exact dates for the burning are not known, as they will depend on weather conditions. The timing of operations will be determined by when conditions are favorable for smoke dispersion to avoid impacting air quality more than necessary.

In addition, there will also be periodic pile burning in various locations from North of Whitefish Lake to the Upper Whitefish Lake and the headwaters of the Stillwater River drainage.

If there are any questions concerning forest management on Stillwater State Forest, please contact the Stillwater Unit of the DNRC at 406-881-2371.