The Flathead Forest on Thursday released its environment assessment for a 41,000-acre forest project west of Whitefish.

The Cyclone Bill Project, anticipated to begin next spring, is intended to reduce the effects of wildfire around the residential areas near Star Meadow and Tally Lake. According to the assessment, 56% of the project acreage is designated as a wildland-urban interface where forest abuts developed areas.

The proposal calls for reducing tree density and forest fuels to help lessen fire intensity, while also improving access for firefighting operations.

Since 1986, 70 wildfires have been recorded within the project area, the majority of which were lightning caused, the assessment notes.

Commercial timber harvest on more than 9,100 acres is proposed, along with non-commercial treatments on approximately 3,100 acres. Treatments would include 3,700 acres of commercial thinning, 2,274 acres of shelterwood and 600 acres of clear cuts. There would be about 81,056 hundred cubic feet of timber harvested with an estimated $1.4 million of revenue.

Prescribed fire would be used on about 1,400 acres of forested areas directly around Tally Lake.

Nearly 12 miles of new roads and 2.5 miles of temporary roads would be constructed.

If approved the project would alter seasonal and year-round public motorized access on portions of Forest Service roads 9877 and 2938 to offset the new road construction and maintain current levels of access. Approximately 0.3 miles of Oettiker Creek Road would be closed year-round with a barrier, and 0.6 miles of Tobie Cliffs Road would be closed year-round with a gate.

According to the forest, the logging operations would diversity tree species to favor long-lived, early seral and fire-tolerant trees like ponderosa pine, western larch, western white pine and Douglas-fir.

"Leave trees would have more growing space, light, nutrients and water to allow them to develop more rapidly into large trees with improved insect, disease and fire tolerance," the assessment states.

Beginning in the 1970s, about 13,409 acres of commercial harvest has taken place in the project area.

A popular area for mountain biking and hiking, the assessment notes that timber harvest contracts will include provisions to protect trails.

There are approximately 10,044 aces of elk security habitat on the project area and 2,752 acres of white-tailed deer winter range. The assessment suggests that thinning the forest will improve forage for deer and elk. New roads that pass through elk habitat would be closed during hunting season.

The Cyclone Bill project is in a grizzly bear recovery area. According to the assessment, no barriers exist within the area that would preclude grizzly bear movements to adjacent populations or recovery areas. Grizzly bear food is well distributed across the area and the proposed forest treatments would enhance grizzly bear forage. Denning is not expected to occur with the project area.

The release of the environmental assessment starts a 30-day comment period. Comments will be used to refine the environmental assessment.

The assessment is available at fs.usda.gov/project/flathead/?project=63658.