Montana forests clean our air and water, moderate our climate and provide places where we work and play. They are home to a variety of wildlife—many of the animals existing in few other places on Earth. Wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolverine, deer and elk use and migrate through these forests. Some, like the elusive Canada lynx, retain a toehold as their habitat shrinks due to climate change. But our forests are in trouble.
Western Dry Forests Program
The Nature Conservancy envisions forests that are healthy, resilient and able to withstand and adapt to the impacts of climate change—allowing fire to play its beneficial role in ecosystems and supporting the health and resiliency of our communities, Indigenous cultures, thriving fish and wildlife populations, and the watersheds and landscapes upon which they depend. Discover how we're catalyzing forest restoration across 11 western U.S. states.
A century of misunderstanding the critical role of fire in our ponderosa pine and other dry forests, plus a period of aggressive logging, have left them dangerously out of balance. On top of that, climate change is bringing hotter, drier summers that lengthen and intensify the wildfire season. Growing development threatens to block the movement of wildlife such as the elusive Canada lynx and wolverines. The Nature Conservancy is actively restoring Montana forests to return them to a state where both people and nature thrive.
Traveling through the Western U.S., you could easily get the impression that densely packed forests, the sort you can barely move through without a trail, is a normal condition. But that’s not the case in most of the ponderosa pine forests that rise from the valleys of western Montana. These dense forests are largely the result of more than a century of humans trying to extinguish all forest fires. Ironically, these overgrown conditions make the forests more susceptible to bigger, more damaging fires.
We cannot, nor should we, stop all forest fires. TNC is taking steps to return fire as a natural and beneficial part of the forest life cycle.
By thinning trees and setting fires that mimic the natural, low-intensity burns that historically reduced combustible material in our forests, The Nature Conservancy is reducing the risk of far more severe and destructive blazes in the future.
For thousands of years, fire was the major force shaping many Montana forests. Fires varied in frequency and severity but kept forests healthy and resilient. However, after a devastating series of fires swept through the West in 1910, people started to see fire as the enemy. We rushed to fight any and all fire.
Today, the crowded forest conditions make it easier for wildfire to spread from tree to tree. The dense growth shades out a lot of forage for wildlife and provides the fuel that makes fire far more severe and more dangerous and costly to fight. Climate change is magnifying the problem. Each year, the cost of firefighting grows, along with the threat to the environment, lives and property.
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While we need to restore fire to its vital role in our forests, current conditions can fuel unnaturally severe fires that destroy homes, damage soil and choke our towns with smoke. TNC is dedicated to restoring the forests by thinning these dense stands to encourage the growth of bigger, more fire-tolerant trees—trees that survive and thrive with periodic fire. Once the forests are thinned and the conditions are right, we will carefully introduce prescribed fire to further the restoration process.
Our forest restoration work is multi-faceted, guided by the best available science and varied depending on forest type and conditions
Successful forest restoration requires a new way of thinking about forestry and sufficient funds to execute. This can be especially challenging to implement on the millions of acres of public forests in Montana. One way that The Nature Conservancy is helping advance restoration is by fostering cooperation between public and private landowners on cross-boundary projects.
Our restoration work is improving habitat for extraordinary wildlife, and our ownership and future planning are preserving the vital connections between the places that they need to feed, breed and rear their young.
TNC is leading by example to show the economic, social and ecological benefits of forest restoration. We’re bringing together folks who use the forest for work and recreation, sharing their ideas for the future of the forests. We are also working with state, federal and local crews to build landowners’ ability to use both thinning and prescribed fire to restore Montana forests.
The forest's balance can return. Through science and community collaboration TNC is restoring the health and resilience our forests need to face those threats.
Our forest restoration work is on the cutting edge. But questions remain such as, “In a changing climate, what are the best ways to reforest after large and severe wildfires?” And “Can we thin in ways that have long-term benefits to wildlife, such as Canada lynx?”
To find answers, our forests are serving as living laboratories where scientists experiment with different approaches to identify best practices. We can use these lands to try techniques and build partnerships that would be difficult on land managed for other uses. But, if we demonstrate positive results, these proven practices, guided by science, can be replicated on other private and public land. TNC is leading by example to show the economic, social and ecological benefits of forest restoration.
What You Can Do
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If you live near a forest, make sure your home is Fire Wise. Learn about the Fire Wise program.
Montana’s forests need you.
Support nature and people in Montana by making a gift to help support work happening across our forests.
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