The emerald triangle survived the Howe Ridge Fire
A burnout south of Howe Lake in this stand of larch burned the understory of trees, but most of the larch should survive. Larch have a thick protective bark that makes them fire resistant.
A burnout near the Howe Lake trailhead shows the contrast of the fire behavior. Most of the larch to the right, even in the burn, should survive.
The “Emerald Triangle” a wedge of land between Howe Lake and Camas Creek, was largely unscathed by the Howe Ridge Fire. It also survived the 2001 Moose Fire and the 2003 Robert Fire.
This week could mark the end of the line for the Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier National Park, as rains are expected tonight into Sunday and next week could be showery as well, with cool daytime temperatures with highs in the 50s and 60s.
The fire has shown little growth in the past few days and is listed at 14,522 acres, with an estimated cost of just under $12 million. Howe Ridge is listed at 25 percent contained.
Weather forecasters are expecting up to a half-inch of rain in the next day or so. A tour of the west side of the fire Saturday gave a better view of previous burnout operations, designed to stop the fire at the Inside North Fork Road.
The burnouts run from just south of the Howe Lake Trailhead to about a mile and a half south long the road. They burned hot in some areas where there was thick lodgepole pine, but in other areas, that had a mix stand of lodgepole and more mature larch, most of the larch survived.
While maps show the Howe Lake Trail inside the fire perimeter, the trailhead did not burn.
An area known as the “emerald triangle” — a wedge of green forest of spruce, larch and lodgepole that survived both the 2001 Moose Fire and the 2003 Robert Fire remained largely unscathed.
The wedge is an area of deep forest between the Howe Lake Trail and the Camas Creek Trail. It offers refuge for birds and fauna, particularly in the winter months.
The main Christensen Meadow also did not burn in the fire, though it appears parts of Rogers Meadow, which is to the east, did.
The west end of the fire is largely out or smoldering. The north end showed some smoke, but not much activity Saturday.
The fire has been burning since it was started by lightning on Aug. 11 on Howe Ridge.
The Type I team led by Mike Goicoecha will transition out early next week and a type II team will take over management of the fire.
The North Fork aside, crews have also been working on the east end of the fire. They removed hazard trees along the North Lake McDonald Road in the past week.
The Boundary Creek Fire in the north end of Glacier and into Canada has also seen moderate activity. It is now 2,911 acres and is 21 percent contained.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed on the west side to Logan Pass, though folks can grab a free shuttle to the pass available beginning at 7:30 a.m. each day at the Apgar Visitor Center Shuttle Stop. The passes will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Shuttles will depart every 30 minutes. The last shuttle will depart at 1:30 p.m. The last returning shuttle from Logan Pass will depart at 4 p.m.
Concessioner operated Sun Tours and Red Bus Tours will also operate in the closure area. Visitors who would like to make reservations with Sun Tours should visit the Sun Tours website. Visitors who would like to make reservations for a Red Bus Tour should visit the Glacier National Park Lodges website.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road remains open to private vehicles from St. Mary to Logan Pass, accessible from the east side of the park.