HELENA, Mont. (July 18, 2024) – The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is pleased to announce the appointment of its Executive Vice President, Raylee Honeycutt, to the newly formed Montana Prescribed Fire Council (MTPFC). The establishment of the Council is a result of the 2020 Montana Forest Action Plan, which calls to “establish a Montana Prescribed Fire Council to facilitate and coordinate the increased use of prescribed fire and low-risk wildland fire in Montana to restore fire-adapted landscapes.” The Council held its first meeting at the end of June.
Prescribed fire is a critical land management tool to use across all landownerships, including on private land, to reduce wildfire risk, control encroaching conifer species, and enhance nutrient cycling for grazing lands.
The Council is designed to be a member-driven organization that protects, conserves, and expands the safe, responsible, and wise use of prescribed fire, as well as increases the pace and scale of its implementation across all land ownerships. In doing so, the Council intends to improve the resilience and viability of Montana’s landscapes by advancing the use of prescribed fire as a land management tool.
The MTPFC Steering Committee consists of eleven members from the following stakeholder categories – forested landowner group, agricultural group, industrial landowner, tribal, university or research, Montana fire wardens, Montana fire chiefs, conservation group, county or local government, Montana Forest Action Plan Member and an at-large member.
For further information and opportunities to get involved with the MTPFC, please take a moment to respond to this prescribed fire needs survey.
The goals of the council are to:
● Advance public awareness, acceptance, and understanding of prescribed fire, its environmental and economic benefits, and its cultural use in Montana to foster a public expectation for more prescribed fire.
● Promote education about, and the use of prescribed fire for, enhancing public safety, managing resources, and sustaining native, fire-dependent ecosystems.
● Analyze current barriers and anticipate potential barriers to prescribed fire in Montana and advocate for remediation.
● Foster communities that are fire-adapted and smoke-ready.
● Share and promote opportunities for landowners, land managers, and fire practitioners to access federal, state, tribal, and private funds to support the use of prescribed fire.
● Leverage authorities and agreements that facilitate sharing resources and collaboration.
● Advance, expand, and increase accessibility to resources, expertise, and qualified personnel in prescribed fire, smoke management, and post-fire monitoring.
● Share technical and ecological knowledge considering historic indigenous practices, current science, and experiential knowledge; and
● Develop prescribed fire policies and regulations, at all levels of government, favorable to implementation of prescribed fire across all lands. To learn more about the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the organization’s work on behalf of Montana ranchers, please visit www.mtbeef.org.
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The Montana Stockgrowers Association is a grassroots membership organization and is the trusted voice of cattle ranchers. With 140-years of history, MSGA advocates and ensures cattle ranching remains relevant, safe and a sustainable way of life for generations to come. MSGA MEDIA CONTACT:
Keni Reese
Director of Marketing & Communications
406-442-3420
[email protected]
To view more MSGA news, visit https://mtbeef.org/news/
