Kootenai National Forest officials recently approved the first timber salvage project following the devastating wind storms that occurred last winter.

According to information from the national forest, Supervisor Chad Benson signed off on the Overblown Salvage project, located near Yaak, on July 27.

The project aims to salvage 237 acres of blowdown and damage trees, with the purpose of recovering economic value of forest products and maintaining forest health and desired conditions. The Overblown Salvage project is planned for sale advertisement as early as this week.

The Three Rivers Ranger District will manage the work. 

There are six cutting units within the project. The largest is Unit 2, west of the South Fork of the Yaak River. Work could take up to one year to complete.

In terms of endangered species, forest officials consulted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding grizzly bears, wolverines and Canada lynx.

The majority of motorized access will occur on routes that are already open to public motorized traffic. One-half mile of road building is anticipated to complete the project.

“Therefore, the effects of the project on important grizzly bear habitat features such as cover and forage, as well as habitat connectivity and linkage, would be insignificant,” officials said.

Fish and Wildlife Service officials said no denning habitat occurs within the project area and any potential denning areas are located at elevations well above where the proposed work will occur. 

A letter issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service said it reviewed the biological assessment regarding the effects of the Overblown Salvage Project on the three aforementioned species, including the effects of the action and cumulative effects within the action area. 

“We anticipate all effects of the proposed action would either be insignificant or discountable,” Field Supervisor Amity Bass said. “Thus, the service concurs with the determination of may affect but is not likely to adversely affect grizzly bear, Canada lynx and wolverine. The service bases our concurrence on the information and analyses presented in the biological assessments well as information in our files.”

Forest officials say the public will be notified when logs are being hauled on the Kootenai Forest Facebook page, the forest's website and by posting signs at the following locations: the junction of the South Fork of the Yaak Road 68 and Long Meadows Road 593 and the junction of the South Fork of the Yaak Road 68 and Obermayer 6814.

For more information, contact Moira McKelvey at 283-7679 or at [email protected].