Fire Ecology
Fire has shaped Montana's forests for tens of thousands of years and is a regular process for maintaining the health of our forest ecosystems, especially our lower elevation forests that historically experienced frequent, low-severity fires. While a burnt forest may look devastating, many of Montana's plant and animal species are adapted to or depend on fire to stay healthy and productive.
No matter where you live in Montana, the land that you call home burned at one point in the not-too-distant past.
Fire Ecology Fundamentals
View the Nature Conservancy's Prescribed Burns: Fighting Fire with Fire video to learn more about the historical role of fire in Montana's ponderosa pine forests and how reintroducing fire back onto the landscape can reduce the risk of more severe wildfires.
Forest Fast Break: Forest Fire video, produced by the Idaho Forest Products commission, goes over the role of fire in our forests, why they've become more severe, and tools to limit the severity of fire.
Click to View Resources Below (PDF)
Additional Resources
Through the Fire Effects Information System, you can look up fire information on plant species and fire regimes for the forest area you live in.
The Association of Fire Ecology's What is Fire Ecology? page has videos and publications that provide an overview fire ecology topics and include links to fire ecology research sources.
The Rocky Mountain Fire Science Network webpage has a variety of in-depth videos, publications, & hot topic articles on the role of fire in the Northern Rockies.
Indigenous Relationships & Use of Fire
Although the state of Montana is only 130 years old, Indigenous Peoples have stewarded these forests and grasslands since time immemorial. One of the many tools Indigenous Peoples who reside in what is now called Montana used to shape their historical landscape was fire. From reducing the risk of more severe wildfires to benefiting crops and culturally important plants, Indigenous Peoples have and continue to use periodic, planned fire to benefit both people and the land.
To learn more about Indigenous Peoples and fire in the Northern Rockies visit Fire on the Land.
Returning Fire to the Land
First Nations in Montana are working to reintroduce fire as a management tool, working across jurisdictions while integrating cultural and ecological knowledge, after over a century of fire suppression by state and national land management agencies.
View the Returning Fire to the Land video to the right to learn about how the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes' Forestry Department is reclaiming a traditional relationship with fire through an ecosystem management approach.