Below is a Facebook post from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).
Last week, DNRC staff partnered with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) to burn 92 acres of slash piles, part of their effort to enhance elk habitat on the Mount Jumbo Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located northeast of Missoula.
“The timing of the burn was carefully chosen to coincide with a predicted winter storm,” said Ashleigh Burwick, DNRC Missoula Unit fire management officer. “This decision allowed our resources to complete the pile burning in a single day, minimizing smoke impact and facilitated snowfall in the area once the pile burning was complete.”
The 120-acre Mount Jumbo WMA is managed by FWP for both habitat preservation and recreational purposes. Funding for this habitat management work was provided by FWP, along with grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and DNRC.
The DNRC has previously partnered with FWP on broadcast burns at the Clearwater Game Range and the Three Mile WMA earlier this fall. “This valuable partnership with FWP not only supports FWP’s local unit areas but also offers valuable training opportunities for our DNRC staff,” said Ashleigh.
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(Photo credit: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation)