The Flathead National Forest is seeking comments on a proposed commercial-thinning timber project near Round Meadow, about seven miles northwest of Whitefish.

The Round Bug Mountain Pine Beetle Project calls for thinning on less than 250 acres of national forest lands. Thinning would involve removing the largest lodgepole pines or leaving lodgepole trees on a strict spacing guide of about 12-20 feet apart, or a combination of the two.

The goal is to protect the area from a large-scale mountain pine beetle outbreak. The Round Meadow area’s popular year-round trail system is used for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and other outdoor activities.

In a press release, Lisa Timchak, the district ranger for Tally Lake Ranger District, said that based on Forest Service insect-survey plots measured in September, “mountain pine beetles are expected to cause high levels of lodgepole pine mortality beginning in 2012 and increasing over the following 5 to 10 years.

A large-scale mountain pine beetle outbreak in the Round Meadow area “would create large amounts of dead standing trees, making this popular recreation area unsafe and unsightly to users,” Timchak said.

About 1.5 million board-feet of merchantable timber would be removed in the project, and about one-half mile of temporary road would be constructed and then obliterated after use. Since “beetle flight” typically occurs from July to September, the units would be logged in the winter of 2011-2012.

Timchak cited federal law in her decision not to conduct an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project, noting that the project is aimed at insect control and is less than 250 acres in size.

Comments can be mailed to Project Leader Tami MacKenzie, Tally Lake Ranger District, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell MT 59901, or by e-mailing comments-northern-flathead-tally-lake@fs.fed.us or by calling Tami or Betty at 758-5204. Deadline is Nov. 26.