Air Tractor AT-402B Contracted to Disperse Sagebrush Seeds in Montana

Nearly four years after a devastating wildfire, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) called in a team of aerial applicators to re-seed Mount Maurice. The project will restore around a third of the almost 30,000 acres of scorched land.

The fire was lit in June 2021 near Red Lodge, Montana. It ripped through Mount Maurice and surrounding woods, destroying nearly 30,000 acres of land and sagebrush.

“We were very fortunate that it didn't cross over and come into Red Lodge or burn more homes than it did," expressed Bo Ewald, a board member of Red Lodge Airport. "Largest fire in Carbon County history that I could detect."

With the wildfire almost four years in its past, the BLM decided it was time to restore Mount Maurice to its former glory by bringing in a specialized aerial re-seeding team from Sterling, Colorado. The BLM also worked with residents of the nearby Special K Ranch to hand-plant seedlings last year.

The Aero Applicators team flew in with their Air Tractor AT-402B, an entry-level turbine agricultural plane, in late February. The BLM tasked the crew with re-seeding around one-third, or 8,000 acres, of the scorched Mount Maurice territory. To do so, they hauled about 600 pounds of sagebrush seed and spread 2.5 pounds over each ace.

After around a week of operations, the project was complete. The crew made several trips a day, each lasting almost an hour, for a total of 30 seed loads.

The trip did not go without a hitch, however. The Colorado team is used to piloting agricultural missions in the summer. The reduced visibility, paired with the low altitudes required to carry out these flights, posed a unique challenge. Still, once the flurry begins to melt, the seeds will take root and Mount Maurice’s natural beauty will return.

"The snow is not easy flying-wise. It's really blinding," stated Cody Nichols, pilot and Director of Charter Operations for Aero Applicators. “It's rugged terrain out there, so we're really going up and down those hills, and we're doing about a 500-foot difference from the top to the bottom of the run that we're on, and there's a lot of terrain in between.”

FMI: www.aeroapplicators.com