Snow thoughts

It is normal for Spring to arrive in Columbia Falls before it does on the North Fork. The difference this year is that there is still snow on the ground in Columbia Falls and it is still full winter on the North Fork. Neighbor Lynn Ogle reported this week that there is still a solid blanket of snow at Trail Creek. Moreover, it rained at Trail Creek, followed by a hard freeze that put an icy crust on top of the snow. Lynn said the crust was thick enough that he could walk on it without breaking through. If you do not know Lynn, I can tell you that he is a full sized adult. There have been several times when I could walk on the crust and Lynn was post holing on the same trail.

As always, the snow will melt. I can remember years when we have had a lot more than this year, which we are told the snowpack is 104% of normal in the Flathead. I remember snowmobiling in mid-May one year and, way back when I was in high school there was six feet of snow on May 10th (I still have the pictures).

Whenever the snowpack is above 100% on April first some folks a flood in May or early June. If the snowpack is below normal some folks start worrying about an active fire season.

Personally, I don’t believe much in either scenario being the major factor in either flood or fire. Sure, there can be some effects, but weather in April, May and June are the biggest factors in determining fire or flood. For example, the 1964 flood was the result of a slow melt off of snow in April and May and a major rain storm in early June. The combination created a major flood which took out stretches of the North Fork Road and was even worse on the Middle Fork and East Side.

Fire is more complicated. Many believe our big fires are the result of our suppressing all fire for so many years that fuels built up and now we have big fires. I think that is only part of the problem.

In my mind, the biggest problem was poor forest management. For decades the US Forest Service sold timber in large blocks which were clearcuts. These large clearcuts were then replaced by huge blocks of lodgepole pine. As they matured they created huge blocks of fuel and the risk of bigger hotter fires.

I think timber management should focus on a mixed age forest in every creek drainage. That creates protection for old growth stands and recently logged areas in each creek drainage which make large stand replacement fires less likely and may even eliminate them. Certainly it would make fires smaller and thus property safer and would lower the costs of fire fighting.

What do you think?