Category: News

2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the Wedge Canyon Fire, which destroyed seven homes and twenty-nine outbuildings in the area between Whale Creek and Trail Creek.  54,400 acres burned.  The costs of suppressing the fire and protecting structures exceeded $50 million.

The NFLA’s Fire Mitigation Committee is planning a FireWise Day workshop to recognize the tenth anniversary of the Wedge Canyon Fire as well as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Red Bench Fire.  The workshop will be held on July 10, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in Sondreson Hall, immediately preceding the Summer Interlocal meeting.

First, we’ll take a look at North Fork fire history, focusing in particular on the Wedge fire.  Then we’ll examine changes in the North Fork since 2003 that may affect fire behavior.  Finally, we’ll consider the potential impacts of climate change on wildfire in the North Fork.  Tentative presenters at the workshop include Wally Bennett and Steve Frye, who played instrumental roles in efforts to suppress the Wedge fire, as well as our own Allen Chrisman

The North Fork’s FireWise Community status has been renewed for another year, based on our activities in 2012.   The North Fork has been a FireWise member for eight years, making us one of the longer-standing programs.

In 2012, the DNRC awarded the North Fork community a hazardous fuels reduction grant.  It’s the third such grant that the community has received; well over 100 North Fork landowners have participated in the program.  Monies are distributed on a cost-share basis, with the grant providing 75% of the cost and the landowner providing the remaining 25%.  The total value of the grant, with landowners’ share, is about $133,000.

As of March 1, 2013, most of the grant money has been committed to landowner projects.  It’s possible that we can obtain additional funding, contingent on the resolution of budget issues in Washington, D.C. and a demonstration of continuing landowner interest in the program.

Following the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history, representatives from the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) coalition toured Colorado Springs to analyze the Waldo Canyon Fire’s impacts and learn how the community had prepared itself. NFPA’s Fred Durso wrote an account of the team’s visit. Download a copy of “Moving Toward a Fire Adapted Community” (PDF, 3 MB).

As of late August, 2012, fifteen North Fork landowners have signed cost-share agreements under the North Fork’s third hazardous fuels reduction grant.  A total of $53,465 has been obligated.  The total amount of the grant is approximately $100,000.  The Fire Mitigation Committee encourages landowners who are interested in participating in the program to apply.  The expiration for the grant is September 30, 2014. For more information, download the NW Montana Hazardous Fuels: Landowners’ Guide to Cost-Share Funding from here

The Fire Mitigation Committee held its annual FireWise Day on July 11, 2012.  The theme of this year’s event was “Stewardship, Forest Health and Fuels Reduction on the North Fork.”  Presentations focused on how to reduce fuels so as to serve stewardship objectives and achieve a healthy forest.

Four North Fork landowners shared their perspectives, with the help of power point presentations.  Allen Chrisman, North Fork landowner, forester and former Flathead Forest Fire Management Officer, provided a detailed description of his management objectives and accomplishments on his large family property.  He gave attendees the following “take-home” messages:

• Every acre on the North Fork will burn.
• We can’t change topography or fire weather but we can manipulate fuels, which will change fire behavior.
• Know what your objectives are.
• We can’t keep trees from growing on the North Fork
• Vegetation will change over time no matter how much we want it to stay the same.
• Decide which trees you want to keep and remove the rest – the sick, the lame and the lazy – then stand back and watch your forest grow.

Larry Kinsolving, Jerry Wernick and Richard Hildner related their experiences with fire on the North Fork and what they have done on their respective properties in light of those experiences.  For each of them, the bottom line appeared to be developing a plan that addresses the elements of fuels reduction, stewardship and forest health, then sticking with the plan over time.

Three of the speakers have agreed to let us post their presentations on the website. You can download each of the presentations in PDF format from below, but be aware that some of them are pretty large files due to the embedded images.

• Allen Chrisman’s presentation (38.5 MB)
• Jerry Wernick’s presentation (3.68 MB)
• Larry and Ruth Kinsolving’s presentation (6.34 MB)

Angela Mallon, a private forestry assistance specialist for the DNRC observed that interest in reducing fuels often serves as a catalyst for getting landowners involved in stewardship.  Ms. Mallon was responsible for the grant selection process that resulted in the North Fork’s recent fuels reduction grant.  She cited North Fork fire history, and the demonstrated willingness of landowners to work to mitigate risk, as reasons for the North Fork’s selection.  Both Ms. Mallon and Bill Swope, project administrator for the new grant, stressed the importance of shaded fuel breaks and ingress/egress.