Forest Service Not Playing Nice with Montana on Wildfires?

Seems when it comes to money & budgets, jurisdiction, forest management and wildfire response, the Feds and the State have come to loggerheads, pun intended.

This latest dust-up involves the Horse Gulch Fire in July and August that burned over 15,000 and had cost an approximate $25 million to extinguish.  The dispute is over who should cover how much of this tab.

Forest fires couldn't care less about who owns or controls what sections of land; blazes will burn it all until they go out.  It is very common for a single fire to scorch wilderness under the purview of the United States Forest Service (USFS) and areas under the maintenance of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).  With that in mind, USFS and DNRC negotiate cost sharing agreements frequently under a set of guidelines.

Horse Gulch created a rift.

According to a letter from Governor Greg Gianforte, the USFS is trying to charge the state for 1/3 of the cost although only 1% of fire was on state-protected lands.

The Forest Service is arguing that they suppressed the fire on their lands that also threatened to spread onto sections under DNRC and county jurisdiction.  Since the Feds preempted the wildfire invading state lands, the state should help defray the cost.

Which side is right?  Depends who you ask.  Did the Forest Service do the state a solid by stopping a fire before it crossed a border, saving said state manpower and money?  Was it a good faith action or simply what was expected?

Fire Monitoring is Fire Suppression?

Another beef the state has with USFS is the notion that just keeping an eye on the blaze while it burns counts as "suppression."  This may coincide with the philosophy to let Nature do its thing, but it is contrary to the Governor's strategy to actively extinguish wildfires from the start, before it grows and consumes more.  As Mr. Gianforte worded it, “Frankly, framing fire monitoring as part of full suppression is insincere, confusing, and misleading to Montanans who deserve the truth about wildfire incidents across the state.”

It may also be this USFS mindset that contributes to the hazy air conditions we all live under.

So with these conflicts happening, any wonder that forest management is an elusive creature?

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