Single Publication

Fall Pile Burning Projects Planned 

on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 
 

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest may implement prescribed fire pile burning projects this fall/winter, as weather and fuels conditions allow. Prescribed fire and pile burning activities are highly weather dependent, relying on close coordination with the National Weather Service and air quality specialists to determine the best possible weather conditions to promote smoke dispersal and limit smoke impacts.

The Forest has developed pile burning plans for the following units for the respective Ranger Districts. Maps of the specific units can be found under the "Announcements" tab in the Inciweb site.

Dillon RD:  

Black Mountain piles - 12 miles south of Jackson on Forest Service Road 919

Harrison Park Trailhead piles - 10 miles north of Polaris on Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Middle Fork Little Sheep Creek piles - 10 miles southwest of Lima 

Wisdom RD:

Pintler Face piles (Calvert Creek) - northwest of Wisdom on the 1223 road in Calvert Creek 

Pintler Face piles (Seymour Creek) - west of Mill Creek Highway 274 on Forest Service Road 934

Steele Creek piles - 6 miles east of Wisdom on road 2420, from South Fork to Triangle Park area

Calvert Hill piles - 19 miles northeast of Wisdom, along Forest Service Road 70648 

Pettengill Creek piles - south of Wise River, along Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, at Stine Creek and Sheep Creek

Butte RD:

Basin Creek piles - Basin Creek watershed, 10 miles south of Butte

Red Rocks piles - north of the Bernice exit off I-15, 22 miles north of Butte

Madison RD:

Johnny Gulch piles - 20 miles south of Ennis along Forest Service Road 324

Pintler RD: 

Bowles piles - 22 miles southwest of Philipsburg, south of MT Hwy 83 near Skalkaho Pass area

Upper Willow piles - 16 miles northwest of Philipsburg, along county road 88

EDLV piles - 10 miles northeast of Opportunity, east of Interstate 90 between Galen and Warm Springs exits

Hand piles - smaller hand piles located at Georgetown Lake, East Fork Reservoir, Middle Fork of Rock Creek, Stony Creek, and Henderson Mountain

Why burn piles? Pile burning operations help reduce accumulations of fuels from previous projects or fire incidents, increasing landscape wildfire resilience and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effects on the landscape. 

Public notifications: Prior to initiating the prescribed fire or pile burning operations, fire professionals assess conditions, conduct a test burn, and notify local governments and interested publics via website postings, email, social media, and news releases. Implementation and accomplishment updates will also be posted to the Forest website, the Prescribed Fires Inciweb page, and the Forest’s Wildland Fire Information Facebook page.

Smoke: Minimal smoke impacts are expected with pile burning operations. Larger piles will normally consume completely in a few days, with smaller hand piles taking less time. Smoke may be visible from adjacent communities and roadways. Smoke tends to pool in lower elevations and along roadways during the evenings and early morning hours, so motorists should take note during those times. 

Contact the B-D Forest Fire PIO, Terina Hill, at (406) 683-3920, or the B-D Fuels Program Manager, Greg Schenk, at (406) 683-3870, for additional information.