(Lewistown, Mont.) – Willingly including your ranch in the biggest Bureau of Land Management prescribed fire in Montana history may seem scary to some folks, but for Browning brothers Tim, Tom, Ted and Travis the science made sense.
“Fire is a natural disturbance that occurs in this area about every 25-35 years. Burning opens up the canopy again and gives a pulse of nutrients to produce more grasses, forbes and shrubs,” said Matt Comer, a Wildlife Biologist at the BLM Lewistown Field Office.
The Brownings’ are so certain long-term benefits of prescribed fire will outweigh short-term impacts to their ranching operations that they sold 200 head of cattle to accommodate the BLM’s pre and post burn grazing rest requirements.
According to Tom Browning, “our father always worked well with the BLM, and we learned that from him.”
Tim and Tom started working with the BLM in 2005 on the planning phases of the Sacagawea Landscape Project, explained BLM Fuels Specialist Josh Barta. “The Sacagawea Project consists of a series of landscape-scale prescribed fires and mechanical treatment projects in which the BLM plans to treat 160,000 acres of forested areas that are unnaturally dense due to fire suppression over the past 100 years,” said Barta. The Sacagawea Landscape Project is located in the Musselshell River Breaks, part of the BLM Lewistown Field Office area.
Since 2005, over 15,000 acres have been burned in five prescribed fires. Four of the burns involved the Brownings’ grazing allotments. One of those projects was the 6,700-acre Tin Can Hill Unit F Prescribed Fire, which was successfully completed in April 2015. Unit F was the largest successful BLM prescribed fire in Montana history.
The map shows the Musselshell Breaks Prscribed Fire Units of the Sacagawea Landscape Project.
Additionly, the Brownings allowed about 1,530 acres of their private land to be burned. This improved firefighter safety, because firefighters could let it sweep naturally through the landscape without regard to ownership.
The example set by the Brownings’ partnership with the BLM, coupled with the project’s success so far, has yielded a welcomed consequence. New relationships with neighboring ranchers in the project area have developed. “Many folks in the area have witnessed how prescribed fire will improve the condition of the land in the long-term, benefiting livestock and wildlife,” said Barta. “The Browning’s have been great advocates and are promoting the benefits of these treatments at the local grazing association meetings and in their daily dealings with neighbors. This positive communication is very beneficial to the BLM and is significant in building trust and support with new cooperative partners.”
“Their commitment to stewardship and sound management has become quite apparent and is very much appreciated as the BLM recognizes the impacts these projects have had on their ranching operation. This cooperation and support has been vital to the success of this project over the past ten years,” Barta stated.
According to BLM Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist Adam Carr, the Brownings’ cooperative efforts supported multiple aspects of the BLM mission. Some of those aspects include: fuels reduction, forest health, range management, wildlife habitat, and recreation. “This is one example of many of the cooperative and positive relationships that we have with grazing permittees in Central Montana,” said Carr.
To recognize their commitment of time and effort towards improving a jointly managed landscape, Barta nominated the Brownings for the Public Lands Foundation’s Landscape Stewardship Award. Public Lands Foundation Director at Large Dave Mari presented the Brownings with the award during a ceremony at the BLM Lewistown Field Office.
Barta concluded by saying, “Because of the trust built over many years, and in spite of our sometimes tedious processes, significant work on the ground has occurred and continues. This partnership not only improves the health of the land and its resources, but also protects fire fighters and public from catastrophic wildfires.”
From Left – BLM Lewistown Field Office Fuels Specialist Josh Barta, Ranchers Tim and Tom Browning and Public Lands Foundation Director at Large Dave Mari showcase the Landscape Stewardship Award presented to the Browning brothers. (BLM Photo Jonathan Moor)
Northern Ag Network Note: There were several properties owners involved in making these prescription burns a success. The Browning Ranch is a partnership of three brothers including Ted and Travis, along with Tim Browning. Tom Browning, the fourth brother, owns a separate nearby ranch that was also part of the burn.
Source: BLM Montana
