W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana

09/24/2026

The National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis (FireCenter) at the University of Montana will conduct multiple prescribed burns this fall across UM-administered lands, primarily at Lubrecht Experimental Forest off Highway 200 near Greenough.
Prescribed fire operations are expected to take place from late September through the end of October as weather, fuel and smoke conditions allow. FireCenter burns will be conducted within pre-planned treatment areas to provide training and workforce development opportunities for students, support science delivery, reduce accumulated vegetation, improve wildlife habitat and enhance overall landscape conditions.
Smoke may be visible during burn operations and could linger or settle in low-lying areas as temperatures cool at night. Residents and visitors should use caution when traveling through smoke-affected areas and take appropriate precautions when smoke is present.
Operations are weather-dependent and may be postponed, delayed or canceled if conditions are not suitable. Signage will be posted along U.S. Highway 200 when smoke is expected to be present. Fire personnel will monitor fire behavior and smoke throughout burn operations and patrol treatment areas for several days following each burn.
These prescribed fire operations are being conducted in close partnership with local organizations and agencies throughout the Blackfoot Valley.
For more information about planned prescribed fire activities, email Fire Management Specialist Jacob Tepsa at [email protected].

09/22/2026

The W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation is excited to welcome the Montana NSF EPSCoR SMART FIRES Year 4 All Hands Meeting to the University of Montana UC Ballroom Sept. 23-24. SMART FIRES is a statewide partnership advancing real-time fire science by developing smart optical sensors, as well as AI and machine learning tools to better understand prescribed fire behavior, smoke impacts, and their effects on communities.

For more information on SMART FIRES, visit: https://smartfires.mtnsfepscor.org/

09/15/2026

Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Montana Natural History Center as we celebrate the release of “Wild Work: Adventures of Women Field Biologists,” a new book compiled and edited by UM Wildlife Biology alumnae Susie Adams and Sophie Osborn. Featuring first-person accounts by dozens of field biologists, “Wild Work” is an inspiring and entertaining anthology that brings to light the often-untold stories of women in wildlife science. Co-editors Adams and Osborn will be on hand at the event along with contributing author Lindsay Carlson. Hope to see you there!

https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/wild-work-adventures-of-women-field-biologists

09/02/2026

Are you interested in pursuing a master's degree in a natural resources field but worried about how to fund your dream? The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $5 million to the University of Montana and its partners to fund scholarships for low-income graduate students studying natural resource fields.

The scholarship program is titled S-STEM: Supporting Talented, Low-income Graduate Students via Internships while Completing their Degrees.

08/18/2026

Armed with camera data and complex algorithms, the Smithsonian Institution's project aims to see how wildlife populations have changed in 220 years since the epic transcontinental journey.

08/14/2026

UM Forestry Alumna Alexios Brown is using her educational foundation and leadership experience to drive major native ecosystem restoration projects from Montana to Hawaii.

For Alexios Brown, learning forestry didn’t happen behind a desk—it happened in the thick of the woods. Alexios graduated cm laude from the University of Montana in 2023 with a B.S. in Forest Mana…

08/12/2026

08/06/2026

“Record-breaking January and February temperatures, early snowmelt, thawed soils across the plains, rain-on-snow flooding, and earlier-than-normal streamflow peaks have producers, water managers, and firefighters concerned about the rest of the year. Their concerns highlight an important gap between what we know with high confidence about Montana’s changing climate and what we can predict in any given season,” writes Kelsey Jencso, W.A. Franke endowed chair of hydrology in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana, state climatologist and director of Montana Mesonet. Read more below.

Record-breaking January and February temperatures, early snowmelt, thawed soils across the plains, rain-on-snow flooding, and earlier-than-normal streamflow peaks have producers, water managers, and firefighters concerned about the rest of the

08/04/2026

Researchers at the University of Montana have announced a new free high-tech tool used to better understand forests and rangelands across the country.