Gallatin National Forest Fire Update
Crews Finish Madison Arm Fire, but Prepare for High Fire Potential
By David Nolt, 7-09-07
Fire crews are currently working on suppression rehab and are repairing dozer lines on the Madison Arm Fire near West Yellowstone, finishing up suppression on what was the first and, so far, largest fire of the 2007 fire season in the Gallatin National Forest. The human-caused fire burned around 3,500 acres and ushered in what could be another very busy summer for fires in southwestern Montana.
Yellowstone National Park is experiencing some of the lowest moisture content levels in the area, with dead and downed timber holding only nine percent moisture. The Energy Release Component number should be in the upper teens, according to Gallatin Forest Fire Management Officer Mike Gagen.
“The potential is there for big fires,” Gagen says. “Everything is drying out.”
Last year, parts of the Gallatin National Forest experienced some of the largest and most intense fires in the nation. The Derby Fire south of Big Timber burned just under 200,000 acres, 26 homes, 20 outbuildings and became the nation’s top priority fire for several days last summer. Thirty-year fire veterans said they had never seen fire conditions like those seen in the Derby Fire, and with this summer shaping up to be drier than last year’s, the Forest Service is busy preparing for more action.
Gagen says low moisture levels in Montana and the Northern Rockies Fire Region could set the stage for stiff competition for fire fighting resources if more fires break out.
“The fire fighting resources are going to dry up, so competition is going to be hard,” Gagen says. “We’re taking aggressive initial action just to keep the fires small.”
In many parts of the state, including most parts of the Gallatin National Forest, snow pack melted off three weeks earlier than normal. A trend of earlier, drier springs and hotter summers are extending and intensifying fire seasons across the West. On Friday, July 6, the temperature hit 106°F in Bozeman, setting a new record here for that day.
“It seems like every summer it gets a littler drier than the previous…” Gagen observes. “In the past we used to get pretty good spring and fall rain, which now seems to be limited a bit.”
Lightning storms swept through northern parts of the Bridger and Crazy Mountains on Friday and Saturday, but so for only caused a very small fire in the Bridgers, which fire crews soon contained. Most of this year’s fires in the Gallatin National Forest have been human-caused, however. Gagen says the Gallatin River corridor in particular is receiving more and more recreation use as high water temperatures close down fishing on other area rivers. Because of this, Gagen is encouraging Gallatin National Forest users to be extra careful.
All of the Gallatin National Forest is currently under Stage 1 restrictions (besides the Hebgen Lake area, which is under Stage 2), which prohibits building open-flame fires anywhere outside developed camping areas. Smoking is restricted to campgrounds, designated buildings and vehicles.
Though a specific cause has not yet been determined, fire officials say the Madison Arm Fire was caused by human activity. Around 550 people worked on the fire, which cost roughly $2 million.
For more information on national fire activity, visit www.inciweb.org.
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Boy, it's hot. 106 in Bozeman, eh? Boy, that's sure a lot hotter, way, way hotter than usual. But, it's not global warming. Don't even try to tell me it's global warming. I'm not gonna listen. I'm not listening. La, la, la, la, la, la, I can't hear you!