Rand Creek Project available for comment

The Flathead National Forest released an environmental assessment for the Rand Creek project. The document is available for public review on the project webpage.  

The project is located north of Little Bitterroot Lake and includes areas surrounding and west of Ashley Lake. Proposed treatments are focused in and around the wildland-urban interface to reduce fuels that could contribute to high-intensity wildfire behavior. Intended outcomes of the project also include improving forest diversity and resilience and producing timber that would contribute to jobs and income in Flathead Valley communities. 

The proposal includes a mix of forest treatment types—both commercial and noncommercial methods—that would be applied where they best meet fuels reduction and ecological objectives. Proposed treatments total 7,532 acres of vegetation work. The project includes construction of both temporary and permanent roads as well as maintenance of existing National Forest System roads.  

Comments will be accepted through May 7 at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=68199.  

Comments may be mailed or hand-delivered Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., excluding holidays, to the Tally Lake Ranger District, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901.