Missoula BLM open houses to discuss Clark Fork River forestry project

The Missoula BLM is planning fuels reduction treatments along the Clark Fork River corridor between Bonner and Drummond. (BLM Photo) MISSOULA – The Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office is planning forest restoration and fuels reduction treatments this spring along the Clark Fork River corridor, between Bonner and Drummond, MT.

“We want to address upland forest conditions in the Clark Fork River corridor that have shifted away from fire-tolerant, open stands dominated by large-diameter, widely-spaced Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and western larch toward less fire-tolerant stands dominated by smaller, more densely-spaced trees,” said Kyle Johnson, forester with the Missoula Field Office. “The purpose of the project is to increase wildfire resiliency by reducing forest fuel loading and improving forest health using an ecosystem management approach.”

Treatments could include variable complexity non-commercial thinning, prescribed burning, timber harvest and fuels management.

The BLM will host two open houses to share details about the potential projects and solicit feedback from the public. The first open house will be held March 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Clinton Rural Fire Dept. The second meeting will be March 25, also from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Eastside park in Drummond. Although both meetings will be held outdoors, the BLM requests individuals wear masks and keep six feet away from others to maintain social distancing.

For more information, contact Johnson at (406) 329-3703 or email kdjohnson@blm.gov.