7J

These fire-prone counties are within the western interior forest of Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Kansas. These communities have a growing presence of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and a larger amount of federal ownership (USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management).

Example of a Typical County — Flathead County, Montana: Kalispell and the main entrance to Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest fall in this county. There were large fires here in 200, 2003 and 2007.

National Priorities

Vegetation and Fuels Very Low
Homes, Communities and Values at Risk Moderate
Human-Caused Ignitions Moderate
Effective and Efficient Response:
There is high risk of large wildfires, more potential for resource benefits.

Policy Options and Opportunities

Vegetation and Fuels
These counties may have contiguous areas that could benefit from the use of landscape-scale prescribed fire. Strategic fuel breaks may be warranted. There may be an active forest products industry nearby, which could support fuel treatments. Treatments are economical as a precursor to prescribed fire. The focus would be on treating the periphery of the area to act as a buffer.

Homes, Communities and Values at Risk
Local discretion should be used to determine the importance of homes and community actions.

Human-Caused Ignitions
Human caused ignitions are not as great here as in other parts of the country, but may deserve attention if a local situation dictates.

Effective and Efficient Wildfire Response
Prepare for large, long duration wildfires. Protect structures and target prevention of ignitions.

Download PDF

PDF icon 7J.pdf