Prescribed burns slated for Stillwater State Forest

The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is conducting prescribed burns in Stillwater State Forest this October and November.

The burns will take place on Stryker Ridge, and will likely generate smoke along the U.S. 93 corridor between Olney and Stryker. The department will also have periodic pile burns in various locations from north of Whitefish Lake to the Upper Whitefish Lake and the Stillwater River headwaters.

The burns aim to reduce the amount of fuels on the ground and spur forest regeneration. The department will determine the exact dates and timing of the burns based on weather conditions, with the goal of minimizing air quality impacts.

Dave Ring, unit manager for the department’s Stillwater unit, told the Daily Inter Lake that there is currently a burn-related closure around Woods Lake.

For more information, please contact the Stillwater Unit at (406)881-2371.