October 1999 Bioregion Spotlight: Great Burn Roadless Area

Don't Let the Name Fool You...

The fire of 1910 that gave this area its name did change the face of the landscape here, but far from "destroying" anything, fire is a natural part of this ecosystem. Fires leave a mosaic of burned and unburned lands that promote a diversity of habitats. Many of the lower drainages of the Great Burn Roadless Area hold groves of old growth cedars and hemlocks. The cool, dark environments within these groves provides vital habitat for many plants and animals.

For more information on fire ecology, visit AWR's Fires of `88 website.

The threatened Bull Trout seeks out cool, clear waters--like those provided in cedar groves--for spawning.

Thimbleberry, Horsetail and Ferns on the floor of a cedar grove.

• Assault on Fish Lake... ORVs in the Roadless Area
• The Great Burn as Biological Corridor
• On a Clear Day (you can see what's just outside the roadless area)
• Return to the main Great Burn page.

HOME | SITE INDEX | NREPA | PROGRAMS | MEMBER SERVICES | JOIN AWR

Alliance for the Wild Rockies
PO Box 8731 • Missoula, Montana • 59807
Phone: 406-721-5420 • Fax: 406-721-9917
E-mail: awr@wildrockies.org

Content Copyright 1999 Alliance for the Wild Rockies, unless otherwise noted.

Page design by Picture Tomorrow, Creative Visions for Conservation