Slash pile burning planned for Mount Jumbo Wildlife Management Area

Expect to see smoke from Jumbo saddle area

MISSOULA – Slash piles will be burned on the Mount Jumbo Wildlife Management Area (WMA) just northeast of Missoula, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and smoke will be visible from the many places in the area.

The WMA is just a small portion of the overall Mount Jumbo area, and the slash piles are located in the Jumbo Saddle/Danny O’Brien Gulch area. The piles were left from a hand-thinning forestry project as part of a series of planned treatments to improve forage for wildlife and reduce hazardous fuels on the WMA. 

Firefighters from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and FWP staff will oversee the project. Precipitation is forecasted for the project area starting Tuesday night through the end of the week, which is expected to minimize the duration of smoke from the project.  Crews will monitor the burn piles until they are completely out.

The 120-acre Mount Jumbo WMA is managed by FWP for habitat and recreational values.  Forestry management plans, aimed at improving habitat on the WMA, including this slash pile burning project, were approved by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2020.  Funding for this habitat management work was provided by FWP and grants through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and DNRC.

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