News

Source: The Missoulian By TOM BAUER, Missoulian Montana's Wildfires Should Be Treated Like Natural Disasters The nation’s worst wildfires are burning in Montana. Thousands of acres have been scorched, and thousands more will be lost before the last flame is doused...

Source: KPAX.com MISSOULA - Wildfire smoke is continuing to impact the air quality across Western  Montana. While most of Missoula County had generally Moderate air quality Tuesday morning, thicker smoke is trapped in the Arlee, Lolo, and Seeley Lake valleys. Seeley...

Source: Missoulian MISSOULA — Evacuation orders are in place for some northwestern Montana residents after a lightning storm sparked fires southeast of Eureka in the Kootenai National Forest. Lincoln County officials say the evacuations were ordered at about 2 a.m....

Source: Treesource by Matt Blois The helicopter circled over a small fire in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, near the border between Idaho and Montana. It was the summer of 2013 and Dave Campbell, the U.S. Forest Service district ranger responsible for...

Source: Treesource In the summer of 1968, the U.S. Forest Service sent wildlife biologist George Gruell into the forests of northwestern Wyoming with a camera, a tripod and an old photograph. His assignment: Find the exact spot where the photo was taken — and take it...

Source: Treesource by Shirley Atkins GOLD CREEK, Montana – Juxtaposition. Primm Meadow would be spectacular all on its own, as a park-like cathedral encompassing 112 acres of majestic ponderosa pines. But its location amidst what might otherwise be considered a...

Source: Treesource By David Atkins Protecting Homes from Wildfires One hundred million Americans live in or near fire-prone forests and grasslands. Every summer, some of those forests erupt in flames that quickly ignite homes, some leaping ahead miles in a few...

Source: Treesource by David Atkins Forests and fire, two words often linked together. Are they good or bad? Or is fire like wind or rain or floods, and context and perspective are what really matter? I have heard people argue about whether Smokey Bear is a great...

Source: The Forest Blog by Russ Vaagen  The topic of wildfire raises the level of awareness of our forests.  Some of this is good.  People become aware and then they are compelled to act.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure if they are going to act in the right manner....

Source: Tedx Talks We have all seen the news--hotter summers, and bigger, badder wildfires. What's going on? How did we get here? Paul tells a fast-paced story of western US forests--unintentionally yet massively changed by a century of management. He relates how...

Source: Treesource Think back to a time when you were deep in the forest, surrounded by silence. The tranquility. The pop of a twig underfoot. The rustle of leaves. The sound of your own heartbeat. Little did you know that just beneath your feet, the trees were...

Source: The Forest Blog By Russ Vaagen There’s a great deal of talk in today’s forest management circles about the use of prescribed fire as a tool to manage forests.  Fire can certainly be a great tool to reduce forest fuels and maintain tree spacing.  It’s been used...

Source: Congressman Bruce Westerman As the only Forester in Congress, I understand the mutually beneficial relationship that trees have to our economy and our environment. However, as a result of decades of no management, we have lliterally loved our trees to death....