Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)

Welcome to the Bitterroot Valley!  Did anyone tell you about wildfires?

One of the things that makes the valley such a great place to live is our close proximity to nature.

Bitterroot Wildland Urban Interface Task Force
wants you to know about fire in our natural environment and how it may affect you, especially in the interface.

Are you saying there's a danger from wildfires?   Yes

What is the interface?  We call anyplace where human
habitation meets or intermixes with wild vegetation an
interface area. This could include grasslands or river-bottomlands as well as the more obvious forested lands in the foothills of the Sapphire and Bitterroot Mountains.

Aren't fires rare?   No! The Bitterroot National Forest averages 250 wildfires per year. In fact, periodic fire is a natural part of our local wildlands. Most wildfires are aggressively suppressed, and have been for nearly 100 years.

So what's the problem?    Materials that fuel wildfires have built up over the years and the forest has changed. Wildfires are becoming more difficult to suppress. At the same time more people are building homes farther into native vegetation in poorly accessible areas. Protecting these people and their homes in a wildfire may be impossible at times.

No protection!   What do you mean?  Task Force members believe that the best protection is the work that has been done in advance of a wildfire.

 

Bitterroot Wildland Urban Interface Task Force

The Task Force has representatives from county government, federal, state and local fire protection agencies. Individual members include foresters, experts in wildfire, interface homeowners and concerned citizens. 

We at the Task Force are dedicated to improving the protection of people, property and our natural resources from wildfire. Members believe that the best protection is the work that has been done in advance of a wildfire. 

The Task Force is working toward improved protection by acting as a liaison between interested parties, a clearinghouse for information and ideas, and a conduit for grants aimed at these problems. 

For more information about the task force and upcoming meetings, contact the Bitter Root RC&D office.

Informational PDF's

• Bitterroot Community Wildfire Protection Plan
• Bitterroot Valley Wildfire Response Guide link
• Montana Interagency Wildfire Coordination Guide
• Montana Interagency Appendices
• How Safe Is Your Home
• WUI Definitions

Phone # (406) 363-5450
Fax # (406) 363-5451