Mussigbrod Complex (Mussigbrod)

200064,828 acresMontana

The Mussigbrod Complex (Mussigbrod) burned 64,828 acres, about 101 square miles, across 3 counties. It began on July 31, 2000.

Watch how it happened

Mussigbrod Complex (Mussigbrod) · 2000

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionJuly 31, 2000Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area64,828 ac
Revealed—
Counties3

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the Mussigbrod Complex (Mussigbrod)
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered51%32,784
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive13%8,576
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive11%7,309
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change25%15,954
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before0.3%205

51% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 32,784 acres; 64% burned at moderate or high severity.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.

Where it burned

Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.

Acres burned by county
Ravalli CountyMT32,636
Beaverhead CountyMT31,491
Granite CountyMT682

Other large fires in Montana in 2000

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.