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Depending on weather conditions, pile burning activities will likely begin early next week, as soon as Monday, October 28, 2024, and will continue as conditions allow this fall through the winter on the Bozeman and Hebgen Lake Ranger Districts. This includes pile burning in North Bridgers, Hyalite Canyon in the Bozeman Municipal Watershed, North Hebgen, Lonesome Wood, Shedhorn Fire, and Administrative piles.

Our Goal: To reduce fire hazards by burning residual slash piles created by contract thinning, logging operations, forest crews, firewood gatherers, post and pole cutting, and summer homeowners, with special attention to reducing wildfire risk to communities in Wildand Urban Interface areas. Adjacent fuels are not expected to be receptive to fire during pile burning due to consistent snowpack or high moisture content.

Pile burning activities will only be ignited when conditions are met including when ground fuels are covered with sufficient snow, or during wet conditions.

Fall and winter provides ideal conditions for pile burning, with higher fuel moistures and cooler temperatures. Conducting burns in this season helps prevent out-of-control wildfires during the hotter months.

Prescribed fires are low intensity fires, carefully planned and ignited by trained personnel to remove excess fuels such as vegetation and dead and downed wood that would enable future wildfires to burn hotter and longer. Prescribed burning and pile burning are critical to the fuels management program on the Custer Gallatin National Forest to restore fire-adapted ecosystems as fire plays an important role on the landscape. As part of the agency’s nationwide Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the forest Service will continue to work with tribes, partners, and communities to expand this work in coming years, improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk.

For more information on the prescribed fire program: 
Visit our website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/custergallatin/fire

Or by calling: 
Bozeman Ranger District office at 406-522-2520. 

Hebgen Lake Ranger District office: 406-823-6961

For additional information on the Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy, please see:  the https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildfire-crisis