By Bob HenlineWestern News

Lincoln County officials and representatives of the timber industry are cautiously optimistic about the prospect of additional logging activity after the Kootenai National Forest approved the sale of roughly 39 million board-feet of timber northeast of Libby. 

Kootenai Forest Supervisor Chris Savage signed a record of decision for the East Reservoir Project on Oct. 27. 

The project calls for timber harvest and associated fuel treatments on 8,845 acres. The overall project area covers 92,407 acres approximately 15 miles east of Libby along the east side of Lake Koocanusa Reservoir.

The timber total represents more board-feet than the Kootenai National Forest typically harvests in a year. The timber harvest in 2012 was 24 million board feet. During the logging heyday of the 1980s, however, the annual Kootenai timber harvest often topped 200 million board-feet.  

Paul Tisher, one of the owners of TBC Timber Inc., said he hopes the timber sale will avoid any further delays. The first request for public comment on the project was in December 2010. 

“Anything that can add harvesting timber is definitely good,” he said. “Everybody benefits from increased harvesting.” 

The timber contracts could be sold to logging companies within the next 90 days, according to Pat Price with the Kootenai Forest. Price said three packages were pre-advertised for sale, which allowed potential buyers to survey the area and begin to build their bids. Bids are generally open for 30 days and harvesting can begin immediately upon award, weather conditions and harvesting restrictions permitting.

Kootenai Forest spokesman Willie Sykes said additional sale packages are expected to be offered for public bid before the end of the year. Those packages could include Small Business Administration set-asides, stewardship contracts and traditional contracts of various sizes.  

The set-aside contracts are reserved for smaller timber harvesters and intended to help stimulate local business. Stewardship contracts involve the harvester providing maintenance and stewardship services in other parts of the Kootenai National Forest in lieu of pre-established portions of the harvesting fees. 

Lincoln County officials said they would welcome the economic benefits of additional timber harvesting. Timber sales create additional revenue for the county, which receives a percentage of timber receipts paid to the Forest Service, and pump more money into the local economy as more people work and spend their money at local businesses.

Lincoln County Commissioner Tony Berget said he appreciates the efforts of the local Kootenai Forest team but noted that “we hear about this stuff, then the projects get litigated and nothing happens.”

Denise Beck, the National Environmental Policy Act coordinator for the forest, said parties with objections to the project are still able to litigate and cause delays in the timber sales, even though the record of decision is now final. 

That possibility dampens the enthusiasm of local officials. 

Commissioner-elect Mark Peck echoed Berget’s concern. 

“The whole thing depends on whether or not it’s litigated,” Peck said. “It does us no good if we can’t act on it.”

During the public comment phase of the project, objections were raised by the Alliance for The Wild Rockies of Helena. The organization had requested changes that would expand protected habitats for lynx and bears.

Mike Garrity, spokesman for the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said he had yet to review the final record of decision and “couldn’t really guess at all” if the organization was going to file a lawsuit that could delay implementation of the new project plan. 

“We would rather not do that and hope that the Forest Service made the changes,” Garrity said. 

The East Reservoir Project would involve: 

• Timber harvest and associated fuel treatments on 8,845 acres.

• Precommercial thinning on 5,775 acres.

• Planting of conifer seedlings on 3,346 acres.

• Prescribed fire on 4,257 acres.

• Burning and/or slashing on 10,049 acres.

• Construction of 9.25 miles of new permanent roads.

• Construction of 4.26 miles of temporary roads to facilitate harvest; these roads will be obliterated following harvest.

• A change to yearlong, open access on 1.79 miles of roads.

• Access changes from motorized to non-motorized on five trails totaling 27 miles.

• Decommissioning of 5.93 miles of roads.

• Road storage on 17 road segments totaling 16 miles.

The Kootenai National Forest currently has 160 million board feet of timber under contract and the East Reservoir project will add 39 million board feet to that total.  

For more information on the East Reservoir Project, contact Beck at the Libby Ranger District at 406-293-7773. 

East Reservoir Project documents are available on the Kootenai Forest website,  www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai.