Experts tell legislators mechanical thinning and tailored management needed to curb ‘mega fires’

Kevin Bruch, a logger from the Flathead, and Peter Kolb, MSU Extension Forestry Specialist, told a joint Senate-House natural resources committee that a century of fire suppression and recent climate trends have left Northern Rockies forests prone to large, high-intensity “mega fires,” and that large-scale mechanical thinning and market development for small trees are needed to reduce risk.

The presenters said restoring a historical mosaic of species and age classes — not a single statewide prescription — should guide policy. “It’s now far too late to use fire as the sole restoration agent,” Kevin Bruch said, arguing that mechanical removal of small, shade-tolerant trees is a necessary precursor to safely reintroducing low-intensity fire on many sites.

Why this matters: Committee members heard that unchecked canopy fires and expanding shade-tolerant understories increase drought stress, insect outbreaks and the likelihood of stand-replacing fires. Presenters warned that without new market outlets and sustained funding, needed treatments will remain uneconomic and large portions of forest will continue to burn at high intensity.

Bruch framed the problem historically and practically. He…