Montana official: county co-op model and new suppression fund boosted wildfire response and mitigation
Loading...
Summary
Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris introduced Wyatt Frampton, Montana deputy state forester, who described Montana’s county cooperative (co‑op) response model, a legislatively backed suppression fund partly authorized by House Bill 883, and new mitigation investments that have produced tens of thousands of acres of treatments.
Wyatt Frampton, deputy state forester for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, told the Wyoming Joint Appropriations Committee that Montana relies primarily on a county cooperative (co‑op) model for wildfire initial attack and backs counties financially when incidents exceed local capacity.
Frampton said the department “has the duty to ensure protection of lands under state and private ownerships” and described two delivery models: county co‑op agreements that fund and equip local governments and a direct protection model in which the department staffs engines, aircraft and frontline wildland positions.
Frampton said Montana protects about 60,000,000 acres (roughly 92% state or private ownership within the department’s responsibility) and supports more than 400 volunteer or local-government fire organizations through its co‑op program. In the co‑op model, he said, counties provide initial attack and the department supplies training, equipment and financial backing when local resources are exhausted.
Why it matters: Montana’s co‑op structure shifts most initial containment work to local firefighters while preserving state-level financial ‘‘backstop’’ capacity. Frampton argued the approach delivers fast initial attack — which is typically more cost‑effective and safer — while enabling statewide surge capacity for larger incidents.
Details and funding Frampton outlined Montana’s fiscal approach as two parts: preparedness funding and a separate fire suppression fund. Preparedness — personnel, training, base equipment — is an annual appropriation of roughly $14,000,000, of which state law requires one‑third to be raised through a wildfire assessment paid by landowners. For suppression, Frampton said Montana’s 10‑year average season cost is about $29,000,000 but varies widely; major seasons can cost tens of millions more.
He described legislative changes over time (House Bill 354 and, most recently, House Bill 883) that modified how the suppression fund is replenished and how much can be held in reserve. He said House Bill 883 authorized biannual withdrawals of up to $60,000,000, split $30,000,000 for risk reduction/forest health projects and $30,000,000 to increase wildfire preparedness and surge capacity.
Mitigation and example projects Frampton said Montana is using mitigation money to contract fuels treatments and forest‑health projects near priority communities. He reported more than 60,000 acres under contract across the state and cited a municipal watershed project near Butte (a Good Neighbor Authority project) that aimed to protect a city drinking‑water supply by improving forest health.
Frampton also described Montana’s in‑house engine build program, a fleet of 55 state engines and five modified Huey helicopters operated through a federal property access program (the aircraft are maintained and crewed by the department). He said Montana is hiring more wildland firefighters, modernizing aviation, and prioritizing prepositioning and exclusive use aviation contracts to keep response capacity local.
Quotes “We have the duty to ensure protection of lands under state and private ownerships,” Frampton told the committee, adding that the department prioritizes an “aggressive initial attack program” to keep fires small and reduce costs.
What the committee asked and clarified Committee members asked about Montana’s landowner assessment. Frampton said the assessment is required, currently structured as a $50 flat rate covering the first 20 acres and a $0.50 per‑acre charge for additional acres; the fee must raise one‑third of the department’s preparedness budget and appears as a line item on property tax statements. He also confirmed state trust lands are not charged assessments where state law prohibits assessments.
Ending Frampton closed by emphasizing coordination: Montana does not expect any single agency to hold all resources and highlighted cross‑border sharing during high‑demand periods. He offered to answer follow‑ups from Wyoming staff and legislators.
