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DNRC outlines Forest Action Plan, calls for collaborative, funded approach to reduce wildfire risk
Summary
Wyatt Frampton, deputy division administrator for DNRC Forestry and Trust Lands, reviewed Montana's Forest Action Plan, the state’s mapping of wildfire risk, and the agency’s use of federal partnerships and funding to scale treatments and private‑land programs.
Wyatt Frampton, deputy division administrator for the Forestry and Trust Lands Division at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), briefed a joint Senate-House natural resources committee on the state’s Forest Action Plan, the agency’s implementation tools and recent funding used to expand forest-health and wildfire-risk work.
Frampton described the plan as a statutory, public-facing document required under the 2008 Farm Bill and updated every 10 years. The DNRC revised its plan in 2020 and is conducting a five-year review; the next complete revision is due by 2030, he said. DNRC used a 23-member citizen advisory council and a public comment process during development and maps wildfire-risk and forest-health priorities statewide.
Why this matters: Frampton told the committee the plan guides how DNRC invests state and federal funds, how it prioritizes Good Neighbor Authority work, and how it targets private-landowner incentive programs. He said the plan’s maps and collaborative processes help align state, tribal and federal actions to carry out treatments where the agency and partners can be effective.
Frampton summarized recent implementation: DNRC directs wildfire protection and related programs across state, federal and tribal lands and matches state funds with federal grants and Good Neighbor Authority agreements to scale mechanical and prescribed treatments. “It provides a lot of transparency and insight into how the federal, state and federal agencies are approaching some of the problems that have been discussed,” Frampton said.
Committee members asked about collaboratives and how small projects are bid. The committee heard earlier in the hearing that Montana has 21 collaboratives; presenters and members discussed that small federal projects are often too small to attract bidders and that consistent, predictable wood supply helps sustain contractors and mills.
Ending: Frampton said DNRC will continue to update and use the Forest Action Plan and follow up with committee members by providing copies of the plan and implementation details. The presentation emphasized the role of state funding and interagency collaboration in scaling treatments and reducing risk.
