The blackfoot river valley, in western montana, faces a complex web of resource concerns

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R1-Northern Region awarded $383,000 to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on March 19, 2026, under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health in the Blackfoot River Valley in western Montana.

Year-one funding supports fuel reduction thinning on 525 acres and prescribed burning on 150 acres across private and state lands within priority areas identified in the 2020 Montana Forest Action Plan and 2024 Powell County Community Wildfire Prevention Plan. The treatments address drought-driven forest degradation, high wildfire risk, and public and private egress safety concerns during wildland fire incidents. The multi-year project, which extends through February 28, 2029, also includes subaward development with partners and will implement weed treatment and additional fuel reduction strategies to build forest resilience across management boundaries and benefit communities in the river valley. Performance occurs in Montana.

Drought conditions threaten forest health, making habitats more susceptible to large wildfires and insect infestations. The project will take place on private and state lands that fall within priority areas identified within the 2020 montana forest action plan and 2024 powell county community wildfire prevention plan. Priority areas for treatment were identified due to degraded forest health, high wildfire risk, acombination of both, and in the instance of the county community wildfire prevention plan, public and private egress safety concerns during wildland fire incidents. By implementing targeted treatments like fuel reduction thinning, weed treatment, and prescribed fire across public and private lands, the project will create more resilientforests and habitats across management boundaries while benefiting communities within the blackfootriver valley. This is a multi-year project. The following purpose reflects accomplishments associated with the first year of funding offered for project implementation and subaward development with partners. With year-one funding, this project aims to reduce wildfire risk to state and private lands through fuel reduction thinning on 525 acres and prescribed burning on 150 acres.