Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00082
Apply for L16AS00082
- The DOI-BLM in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fergus Triangle Prescribed Burn" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 26, 2016 and posted on May 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $110,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Fergus Triangle Prescribed Burn grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00082) was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM) as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.231). It focused on the Missouri and Musselshell Breaks of Central Montana, a rugged region within roughly 20 miles of the Missouri and Musselshell Rivers. The area includes a mix of habitats such as ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests, sagebrush communities, grasslands, and badlands, and it sits in a high-fire-occurrence portion of the Central Montana Fire Zone.
The core problem the opportunity aims to address is the gap between historical fire patterns and current landscape conditions. Historically, many parts of the Breaks experienced relatively frequent fire, with return intervals around 25 years. Over the last century, sustained fire suppression has altered these systems, leading to heavier fuel loads and denser forest stands than would have been typical under more regular burning. The consequence has been substantial wildfire activity: since 1995, 35 wildfires burned about 93,000 acres in the project area, and four fire years (2006, 2010, 2012, and 2014) accounted for nearly 60,000 acres of that total. Against that backdrop, BLM framed prescribed fire as a proactive tool to reduce risk, restore more resilient vegetation patterns, and lessen the need for expensive suppression during extreme wildfire events.
The funded project itself was designed as a prescribed burn and monitoring effort in the Fergus Triangle, described as a "second entry" following earlier prescribed burns conducted in 2002. This implies the work was not a one-time treatment, but part of a longer-term management strategy where repeated burning is used to steer vegetation structure and fuel conditions toward desired outcomes. The Lewistown Field Office has an established prescribed fire program in the Breaks, conducting burns ranging from about 500 to 6,500 acres annually since 2009, with stated plans to continue similar work over the next 20 years. The initial Fergus Triangle work was coordinated with Montana State University, and the new effort was positioned to build on that foundation through additional monitoring, evaluation, and applied research.
A major theme in the opportunity is knowledge-building that can inform fire management across different habitat types and land positions, including forested conifer breaks as well as upland and riparian areas. Because nearly 20,000 acres in the region have seen prescribed burns over the last decade under a variety of conditions, managers have observed a wide range of habitat responses. The grant emphasized the value of studying those outcomes more systematically, comparing prescribed fire, wildfire effects, and target habitat conditions to improve planning and decision-making. Importantly, it also highlighted cross-ownership relevance: findings were expected to support fire management not only on BLM lands, but also for other stakeholders and jurisdictions in the Breaks, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Montana, and private landowners.
Beyond fuels and vegetation, the opportunity strongly emphasized eco-hydrology, particularly the relationship between plant composition and density and how water moves through the landscape. The description notes that tree density and hydrologic response do not follow a simple linear pattern, suggesting more complex interactions among biological and physical processes (biotic and abiotic factors). The intent was to move toward a mechanistic understanding of how stand density influences groundwater levels and surface water discharge, and how those links may differ by site conditions and hydrologic pathways. By tying stand structure and vegetation changes to specific hydrologic mechanisms, the project would improve upon prior studies and provide practical guidance for selecting treatment locations and designing prescriptions that balance forest management goals with riparian-wetland function and water resource considerations.
From an operational and budget perspective, the grant framed prescribed fire as a cost-effective alternative to reactive wildfire suppression. It noted that, to date, prescribed burns in the area have averaged less than half the cost per acre compared to wildfire suppression. The expectation was that better science, monitoring, and decision support would make future prescribed burning more efficient and productive by improving site selection, clarifying desired conditions, and helping managers anticipate both habitat and hydrologic outcomes. The award information indicated a single expected award with a ceiling of $110,000, and eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement). The opportunity was posted May 26, 2016, created May 26, 2016, and closed June 26, 2016.
Fergus Triangle Prescribed Burn (L16AS00082) FAQs
What is the Fergus Triangle Prescribed Burn grant opportunity?
The Fergus Triangle Prescribed Burn opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00082) was a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM). It supported prescribed fire work and related monitoring/evaluation in Central Montana.
Which federal agency offered this opportunity?
This opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM).
What type of funding instrument was used?
The announcement described the award as a discretionary cooperative agreement.
What activity category and CFDA program area did it fall under?
The activity category was Natural Resources, and the CFDA program identifier was 15.231.
Where was the project located?
The work focused on the Missouri and Musselshell Breaks of Central Montana, a rugged area within roughly 20 miles of the Missouri and Musselshell Rivers.
What habitats or vegetation types were included in the project area?
The area includes a mix of habitats such as ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests, sagebrush communities, grasslands, and badlands.
Why was this area a priority for prescribed fire work?
The Breaks sit in a high-fire-occurrence portion of the Central Montana Fire Zone, and the opportunity emphasized a need to address altered fuels and vegetation conditions resulting from long-term fire suppression.
What problem was the grant trying to address?
The core issue identified was a mismatch between historical fire patterns and current landscape conditions. Historically, many parts of the Breaks burned relatively frequently (around a 25-year return interval), but a century of sustained fire suppression contributed to heavier fuel loads and denser forest stands.
What evidence of wildfire risk or impacts was cited in the announcement?
The announcement noted that since 1995, 35 wildfires burned about 93,000 acres in the project area, and that four fire years (2006, 2010, 2012, and 2014) accounted for nearly 60,000 acres of the total burned area.
How was prescribed fire positioned as a solution?
Prescribed fire was framed as a proactive tool to reduce wildfire risk, restore more resilient vegetation patterns, and lessen the need for expensive suppression during extreme wildfire events.
Was this project intended to be a one-time prescribed burn?
No. The funded project was described as a "second entry" following earlier prescribed burns conducted in 2002, indicating repeated burning as part of a longer-term management strategy.
What ongoing prescribed fire program context was provided?
The Lewistown Field Office has an established prescribed fire program in the Breaks, conducting burns ranging from about 500 to 6,500 acres annually since 2009, with plans to continue similar work over the next 20 years.
What role did monitoring, evaluation, or research play in this opportunity?
The announcement emphasized monitoring, evaluation, and applied research to build on earlier work and to study outcomes more systematically across habitat types and land positions.
Was the project connected to any previous collaboration or partner institution?
Yes. The initial Fergus Triangle work was coordinated with Montana State University, and the new effort was positioned to build on that foundation.
What kinds of comparisons or study approaches were highlighted?
The opportunity highlighted comparing prescribed fire outcomes, wildfire effects, and target habitat conditions to improve planning and decision-making.
Why did the grant emphasize knowledge-building across different habitat types?
Because nearly 20,000 acres in the region had experienced prescribed burns over the prior decade under a variety of conditions, managers observed a wide range of habitat responses. The grant stressed the value of studying those responses systematically, including in conifer breaks and in upland and riparian areas.
Who was expected to benefit from the findings?
Findings were expected to support fire management not only on BLM lands, but also for other stakeholders and jurisdictions in the Breaks, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Montana, and private landowners.
What is meant by the grant's emphasis on eco-hydrology?
The announcement strongly emphasized eco-hydrology, focusing on the relationship between plant composition/density and how water moves through the landscape, including links between stand density, groundwater levels, and surface water discharge.
Did the announcement describe the stand-density and water-response relationship as straightforward?
No. It noted that tree density and hydrologic response do not follow a simple linear pattern, implying complex interactions among biotic and abiotic factors.
What kind of hydrologic understanding was the project aiming to develop?
The intent was to move toward a mechanistic understanding of how stand density influences groundwater and surface water discharge, and how those links may differ depending on site conditions and hydrologic pathways.
How were hydrology and vegetation management intended to be balanced?
The project aimed to provide practical guidance for selecting treatment locations and designing prescriptions that balance forest management goals with riparian-wetland function and water resource considerations.
How did the opportunity discuss cost considerations?
Prescribed fire was framed as a cost-effective alternative to reactive wildfire suppression. The announcement stated that prescribed burns in the area had averaged less than half the cost per acre compared to wildfire suppression.
What did the announcement say about how better science would improve future work?
It indicated that improved science, monitoring, and decision support could make future prescribed burning more efficient and productive by improving site selection, clarifying desired conditions, and helping managers anticipate habitat and hydrologic outcomes.
How many awards were expected under this opportunity?
The award information indicated a single expected award.
What was the maximum award amount (ceiling)?
The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $110,000.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any entity type), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted (and created) on May 26, 2016, and it closed on June 26, 2016.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. Based on the provided dates, it closed on June 26, 2016.
What geographic scale of prescribed burning was mentioned for the broader program?
The Lewistown Field Office program was described as conducting burns ranging from about 500 to 6,500 acres annually since 2009.
How does the Fergus Triangle work relate to broader fire management in the Breaks?
The Fergus Triangle project was framed as part of a longer-term, repeat-treatment strategy and as a learning opportunity whose findings could inform prescribed fire planning and decision-making across the broader Breaks landscape and across landownerships.
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