Pine Beetles

Prescribed fires and mechanical thinning efforts are increasingly common land management tools intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. But research into their long term effectiveness is somewhat limited. A recent study looked at the effects of such interventions over more than 20 years on a dry, low-elevation research forest in Montana, and found that the combination of thinning and burning was the most likely to reduce fire risk.

Access to a popular hot spring and campground in the Lowman area will be closed through October for a reforestation project.

Bark beetles are tiny insects that both thrive on – and contribute to – wildfires. Idaho forest managers are making use of a natural chemical the beetles…

The Halstead Fire near Stanley has already burned more than 34,000 acres. Many trees that have burned had already been killed by pine beetles.Pine beetles…