Hungry Horse News

The Flathead National Forest has released a formal environmental assessment for the Spotted Bear Project, which proposes commercial timber harvest on 747 acres, and noncommercial vegetation treatments including thinning and burning on 293 acres. Some roads (0.6 miles) would be temporary and rehabilitated following timber harvest activities.

Approximately 3.4 miles of National Forest System roads would be constructed, managed in intermittent stored service condition, and made impassable to wheeled motorized vehicles. Public motorized access would not change.

The project has units that run from the south of the Spotted Bear Ranger Station to just outside the Bob Marshall Wilderness boundary. They’re generally east of Trail 80 between the South Fork of the Flathead and the wilderness. Though one cutting unit, according to maps, in the EA, is right along Trail 80.

Trail 80 is the main trail from Spotted Bear into the wilderness.

“We first approached the public with this project in the fall of 2021. We received comments both in favor and against the project. We are anxious for feedback now that a draft environmental assessment has been prepared,” said Spotted Bear District Ranger Scott Snelson in a release. “One goal is to shift the forest back to a historical stand structure. We want to decrease stand density, improve forest health, and increase the presence of fire-tolerant species such as ponderosa pine so that our forests are more likely to survive future wildfires and pest outbreaks.”

Lack of wildfire in the Spotted Bear Mountain project area has resulted in dense forest conditions and a shift in species composition from ponderosa pine to Douglas fir.

The crowded Douglas fir dominated forest is more susceptible to insects and disease. Douglas fir beetle and root disease are active in the project area, the Forest Service said in release. No logging or thinning would take place in the Wild and Scenic River corridor of the South Fork.

About 528 acres of the project would be “seed tree” treatments, where typically only 10 to 30 trees are left per acre.

Nineteen of the seed tree units would be 40 acres or larger, the EA notes. About a half mile of road would be built in core grizzly bear habitat.

The complete EA is available on the project’s website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=61010.

For questions, please contact project leader Gary Blazejewski at [email protected] or (406) 387-3827.