Fire

Is that smoke coming from a wildfire or a prescribed burn? Visit our fire information page to find current fire information.

Prescribed fire is a planned fire. Sometimes called a “controlled burn” or “prescribed burn,” the Forest Service manages prescribed fires to benefit natural resources and reduce the risk of unwanted wildfires in the future.

The fire science research portfolio includes fire behavior, fuels management and prescribed fire, risk management and social science, safe and effective fire response, and smoke. We invest in wildland fire research and development because fire shapes landscapes and lives.

View the homepage of our Helena-Great Falls Interagency Dispatch that serves the entire Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and state and local partners

Science has changed the way we think about wildland fire and the way we manage it. We still suppress fires, especially if they threaten people and communities, but we understand that fire has a role in nature – one that can lead to healthy ecosystems. So, we look for ways to manage it to play its role, for instance, by igniting prescribed fires

Explore a fire history map of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Fire footprints provide an opportunity for fire managers to manage new wildfires that emerge on the landscape.