In Northwest Montana we are still forecasted for a “normal” season, but with normal fire season in August, it should be busy.
As Lynn probably mentioned at the NFLA Meeting Saturday, things are drying out quickly. I was amazed at how dry the fine fuels around our cabins have gotten in just the past week without watering. This reminds me of 2007 in the Flathead, where we had a very busy season after incredible heat in early July. Our live fuel moistures are reasonable, but the dead fuel moistures are dropping radically (hear the crunching under your feet when you walk through the woods???)
Here is a link to the current Wildland Fire Outlook: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
Stay tuned, be careful, and make sure our Firewise Day is on your calendar for July 19 (tap here to get a PDF copy). Byron Bonney’s presentation is not to be missed!