Forest plans several prescribed burns

The Daily Inter Lake

The Swan Lake Ranger District is planning several prescribed burns starting as early as this week, depending on weather and other conditions.

The burns are planned for Blacktail Mountain, on the Swan Range east of Swan Lake, and east of Condon and Holland Lake in the Swan Lake. Smoke will be visible from the Flathead Valley and the Swan Valley.

The burns, to be carried out in upper-elevation conifer stands and shrub fields, are intended to improve forest health and browsing conditions for wildlife as well as reduce the risks of future, high-intensity wildfires.

A 50-acre burn is planned for the top of the Blacktail Mountain ski area.

A 1,000-acre burn is planned several miles of east of the town of Swan Lake. That prescribed fire will involve a temporary closure of the Sixmile Trail.

About 2,000 acres will be burned in two separate areas, one just east of Condon and the other near Holland Lake, requiring a temporary closure of the Holland Lookout Trail.

The prescribed fires have been planned to be controlled and not escape as wildfires, and they are in compliance with Montana air quality standards in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Quality.