Helena approves $125,000 for Mount Helena fuel-reduction across 105 acres

Most recently, on February 23, the city commission unanimously approved a $100,000 Cooperative Forestry Assistance Grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to reduce forest fuels across 105 acres on Mount Helena, and the city will match with $25,000 for a total of $125,000 in funding for the project. The commission action funds thinning and other fuel-reduction work on Mount Helena that city officials say aims to protect neighborhoods below the south hills.

Alongside the city-funded Mount Helena work, DNRC’s Helena Unit announced a separate fuels-reduction project treating 140 acres of state trust land near Lombardy Drive west of Helena. DNRC said the work will begin on Tuesday, May 27 and is anticipated to take one month or less to complete, treating “severely overstocked stands of young conifer trees” by thinning trees less than 8 inches in diameter to a 15-foot crown spacing and piling slash by hand for burning in the winter months.

DNRC trust land forester Brian Krott framed the technical goals for the Lombardy Drive parcel, saying the thinning will “reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, improve the growing conditions of the stand, and reduce the threat of future insect and disease outbreaks related to trees growing in stressed or overstocked conditions.” DNRC Helena Unit manager Adam Blythe added that the area “was prioritized in the Montana Forest Action plan” and that DNRC is coordinating with the U.S. Forest Service, the City of Helena and private landowners to reduce wildfire risk to the community and surrounding infrastructure. DNRC also noted the Lombardy section will remain open for general recreation while asking the public to give crews space and avoid areas with active cutting.

City and fire officials tied the new funding to recent local experience and longstanding partnerships. Helena assistant fire chief Mike Chambers said community members have watched mitigation work firsthand — “Pretty much the whole community was able to watch us work” — and emphasized that “Fuel treatments in and around the city of Helena, especially in these park areas, is huge.” Helena open lands manager Brad Langsather referenced the summer 2022 Mount Helena fire and said, “We’ve had a number of fires in the Helena area, and they’ve all had different stories. What we want is for the next story to have a positive outcome.”

Timing and scope reported by local outlets vary. DNRC’s release sets a May 27 start and a one-month or less timeline for the 140-acre state parcel, MTN News reported the city project will begin “later this year” and last about a month, and the Independent Record described a “two-month” operation covering Mount Helena and Mount Ascension and published a city-provided fuel reduction map showing planned trail closures. Recreationists should watch the City of Helena’s fuel-reduction map and posted trail-closure notices and follow DNRC advisories to give crews space; the city and DNRC have signaled that temporary closures and posted warnings are likely during active cutting.

Funding streams differ across the projects: the city’s $100,000 Cooperative Forestry Assistance Grant plus a $25,000 match covers the 105-acre Mount Helena effort, while DNRC said its 140-acre project is funded by House Bill 883 from the 2023 legislative session to bolster state fire response and forest management. Officials continue to coordinate with Lewis and Clark County, the U.S. Forest Service and private landowners as work proceeds to reduce wildfire risk across the south hills.