News

Source: The Forest Blog by Russ Vaagen Growing up in the Inland Northwest in the ’80s and 90s summers were great.  We knew fire was always possible, but it wasn’t a clear and present danger like it is now. In the last few years the summers as we knew them only lasted...

Source: Missoulian  RICK ROWAN [email protected] EVE BYRON [email protected] Lolo Peak firefighters are “trying to take control of the beast out there” but warned Thursday night that they expect more extreme fire activity on Friday. The...

Source: Treesource by Karl Puckett The harder we struggle against wildfires, the deeper we sink, like we’re in quicksand, says Mark Finney, research forester for the U.S Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station. “It’s called the fire paradox,” says Finney, a...

Source: Capital Press Mateusz Perkowski - Capital Press The U.S. Forest Service did not violate federal environmental law by creating a 20-mile-long firebreak to stop a Washington state wildfire, a judge has ruled. In 2015, a lightning strike in Washington’s...

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....