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Montana’s National Parks, Forests, state parks and other public lands are very accessible. There are tens of thousands of miles of open roads and motorized trails putting people at any trailhead, boat launch and over scenic mountain passes. Car and trailer campgrounds, picnic areas and fishing access sites dot our rivers. Even in remote Fergus […] The post If the U.S. Forest Service doesn’t follow the rules, why should we? appeared first on Daily Montanan.

State and federal agencies are collaborating to increase the use of prescribed fires in the Northwest. Prescribed fire is the controlled use of burns to minimize the larger risks of wildfires and smoke. It is seen as an increasingly important strategy as wildfire seasons pose greater threats to the Northwest. ...

A new study in the journal Nature Communications by Montana researchers said suppressing small wildfires is leading to larger, more intense and damaging blazes. According to the U.S. Forest Service, about 98% of wildfires are fully suppressed before they grow to 100 acres; most of them within 72 hours. ...

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has awarded $3.1 million for 13 projects to reduce wildfire risk to communities and improve forest health. The funding money is part of the $15 million Montana Forest Action Plan, which takes a big-picture approach to reducing the risk of wildfires. Wyatt Frampton, deputy division administrator of forestry and trust lands for the Montana Department of Natural Resources, said the money will be used to foster fire-management cooperation between state and private landowners across 3,200 acres of forest. ...

The Lolo Forest plan draft has drawn wide attention for its potential impact across the 2-million-acre national forest. The new comment deadline is Sunday, April 7.