Project Description

County or Counties: Stillwater
Primary Resource Concern: Degraded plant condition - plant structure and composition
Time Frame: Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 through FY 2027
FY 2025 Amendment: FY 2023 through FY 2029

The Countryman Creek Watershed is south of Columbus, MT and slightly West. This Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP) was developed in response to the recognition of the need to protect the landscape from likely catastrophic wildfires. This TIP’s goal is to significantly mitigate the imminent threat of catastrophic wildfire within the project boundary.

FY 2025 Amendments

Modification Timeline
The timeline on the current TIP is FY24-FY27.  This modification changes the timeline to FY24-FY29.  This provides more time for the additional landowners brought in by this modification to apply for financial assistance provided by the TIP, as well as field staff the time to inventory those additional acres of workload that this modification generates.

Project Boundary Modification
This modification extends the boundary to the West to encompass the Yellowstone Estates subdivision and other areas of high tree and brush density.  This boundary move adds an additional 143 landowners and 6,200 acres within the TIP boundary.  This acreage addition also brings more the DNRC-identified High Fire Risk area into the TIP boundary (see original TIP boundary vs new TIP boundary overlayed over High-Risk Area maps at end of document).
 

Conservation Practices Offered

• 666 Forest Stand Improvement
• 381 Silvopasture
• 384 Woody Residue Treatment
• 314 Brush Management
• 383 Fuel Break
• 315 Herbaceous Weed Control

Detailed descriptions of these conservation practices can be found in the Field Office Technical Guide Section 4 - Practice Standards and Supporting Documents.

Project Partners

• Stillwater Conservation District
• Stillwater Valley Watershed Council
• Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)
• Columbus Fire Department

When to Apply

Program applications are accepted on a continual basis. However, NRCS establishes application ranking dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. Applications received after the ranking date will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. See Montana Programs and Application Dates.

Applications must meet the intent of this initiative. For more details about this initiative, contact your local field office. 

Local Ranking Questions

NRCS uses these questions to evaluate eligible applications for this project and to prioritize applications for potential funding.

1. Are the acres proposed for treatment directly adjacent to any currently planned or completed forest thinning or fuels reduction projects that have been completed in the last 5 years? 
   • Immediately Adjacent.
   • Within ¼ mile.
   • Over ¼ mile.
2. Are the acres proposed for treatment adjacent to a “stand replacing” fire that occurred within the last 15 years? 
   • Immediately Adjacent.
   • Within ¼ mile.
   • Over ¼ mile.
3. Are the acres proposed for treatment directly adjacent to ingress/egress routes that would be critical to residents or first responders in the event of a wildfire? 
   • Primary Road.
   • Secondary Road.
4. Will 315 Herbaceous Weed Control be contracted to address noxious weeds on the proposed treatment acres?
   • Yes.
   • No.
5. Are the practices planned adjacent to structures with the intent of reducing risk of wildfire to those structures?    
   • Yes.
   • No.
6. On what percentage of acres with the Degraded Plant Condition resource concern due to Ponderosa Pine and Rocky Mountain Juniper overpopulation will 666, 381, 384, or 314 practices be applied?
   • >50% of acres.
   • 25-49% of acres.
   • < 25% of acres.