Montana’s system of determining how much landowners should pay for wildland firefighting resources has drifted out of balance since its inception decades ago, according to a legislative audit. Under the Fire Assessment Program run by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the state’s firefighting costs are partially paid for through fees assessed on 5 million acres owned by private citizens. The audit, done by legislative staffers and presented to the Legislative Audit Committee, found those payments underestimate the true cost of fighting wildfire in those areas.