Governor praises firefighters, DNRC for effective 2023 fire season response
State kept 96% of wildland fires to 10 acres or fewer
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Governor Gianforte greets firefighters.
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News from the office of Governor Gianforte
HELENA — Governor Greg Gianforte recently praised wildland firefighters and staff and leadership at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) for its effective response during the 2023 Fire Season, keeping 96% of fires under the state’s direct protection to 10 acres or fewer.
“With every fire, we respond with one goal – put out the fire as safely and as quickly as possible. The smaller the fire is, the fewer resources are needed to contain it before it gets out of hand,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Thanks to our dedicated wildland firefighters and commitment to aggressive initial attack, we kept 96% of wildfires under the direct protection of the state to 10 acres or fewer this year.”
The State of Montana is responsible for wildland fire protection on approximately 60 million acres of state, private, and federal lands. Wildland fire crews, aviation resources, and the County Coop Program provide fire protection.
To increase the state’s wildfire preparedness and expand DNRC’s ability to aggressively attack wildfires, the governor secured additional aviation resources and two Type 2 initial attack hand crews this spring.
“Additional firefighting assets provided through House Bill 883 gave DNRC the ability to proactively position crews and aviation resources in areas of high to extreme fire danger,” DNRC Fire Protection Bureau Chief Matt Hall shared. “This ensured our resources were readily available to suppress new fire starts before they could grow to a catastrophic event.”
He continued, “While supplementary resources played a pivotal role in this season’s successes, the primary credit goes to our dedicated firefighting personnel.”
DNRC Director Amanda Kaster also praised the work of the state’s fire managers and partners to increase the pace and scale of forest management.
“In addressing the forest health crisis in Montana, it is evident how vital year-round forest management practices are in reducing the risk for catastrophic wildfires,” said DNRC Director Amanda Kaster. “The Department, in collaboration with our partners, is improving forest health in Montana at an accelerated pace and scale not previously done.”
As of October 30, a total of 1,604 fires burned 117,553 acres of land, incurring a suppression cost of $41.3 million. Of these fires, 21% were lightning caused, and the remaining 79% were human caused or the cause was unable to be determined.
