Dillon, MT July 23, 2024 — Interagency fire management officials in southwestern Montana are implementing fire restrictions this week. These restrictions apply to the following geographic areas:
Madison County, Beaverhead County, Deer Lodge County, Silver Bow County, and Granite County.
Fire restrictions affect private lands within the listed counties; state and private forested lands under the jurisdiction of Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (MT DNRC); and lands under the jurisdiction of Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USDA Forest Service (FS), US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR).
Various agency lands may be in different levels of restrictions (Stage 1 or Stage 2) and stages may change quickly, given our current conditions. Contact the agency responsible for management of the recreation site or area to verify whether campfires and other activities are allowed and/or if other specific exemptions apply to agency land. It is your responsibility to “know before you go.”
Stage 1 fire restrictions:
• Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Butte-Silver Bow, Beaverhead, Granite, and Madison Counties.
• All Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest system lands.
• Bureau of Land Management lands within the above-mentioned counties.
• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) fishing access sites, State Parks, and Wildlife Management
Areas within the above-mentioned counties.
• Montana DNRC state and private forested lands within the above-mentioned counties.
• Bureau of Reclamation lands within the above-mentioned counties, including Clark Canyon
Reservoir and Barretts Park.
Stage 2 fire restrictions:
• US Fish & Wildlife Service – Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
The restrictions will remain in effect until there is a significant change in fire danger. The purpose of fire restrictions is to reduce the risk of human-caused fires during unusually high fire danger and/or burning conditions. Fire professionals analyze several factors when deciding to enact fire restrictions. These factors include the number of human-caused fires, fire danger ratings, persistent adverse weather conditions, fuel moisture conditions, availability and/or capacity of firefighting resources, and the potential threat to firefighter and public safety.
Fire danger across southwestern Montana is EXTREME. Forested lands at all elevations are dry. Firefighting resources in southwest Montana have recently responded to several human-caused starts. The Nation is at a Planning Level 5, with an abundance of fire activity and high demand for firefighting resources. Fire management officials are hopeful that by initiating fire restrictions, there will be fewer person-caused wildland fires.
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