Katkee Fuels Project approved

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests has determined the Katkee Fuels Project will have no significant environmental impact. The decision was part of a notice released by the 

The project is located in Boundary County, near Bonners Ferry and Moyie Springs inside the Kootenai Complex fire shed, including lands near Black Mountain and Katka Peak.

The selected alternative will treat over 10,000 acres to complete the following resource objectives:

• Decrease wildfire impacts on private land and resource values through hazardous fuels reduction activities on public lands.

• Create, enhance, and maintain fuel breaks to allow for safe and effective fire suppression.

• Improve forest resiliency by managing for tree species and structures that better resist insects, disease, and wildfire.

• Increase the acreage of stands where western white pine and western larch are major components.

• Decrease sediment sources to maintain or improve water quality and aquatic habitat.

• Maintain grizzly bear habitat by increasing forage in open-forest structures while improving existing security.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Emergency Action Determination’s direction, the Forest Service has analyzed the project's potential environmental effects and documented the analysis in an Environmental Assessment. Based on this analysis, a finding of no significant impact has been reached, determining that the proposed action does not have the potential to cause significant environmental effects.

The project documents, including the decision notice, final Environmental Assessment, appendices, and maps, can be accessed at fs.usda.gov/r01/idahopanhandle/projects/65300.