Flathead National Forest plans to remove trees on the front side of Big Mountain this summer as part of the 200-acre Big Mountain Fuels Project directly adjacent to Whitefish Mountain Resort infrastructure.  

Plans include removing accumulated vegetation and dense trees along Chairs 1, 2 and 4 to reduce the risk of wildfire. 

Most of the project, 150 acres, will see improvement cuts, an intermediate level of treatment that will decrease density and remove fuel ladders, while leaving fire-tolerant species such as western larch and Douglas fir.  

Another 48 acres, located primarily along lift lines, will see a more varied, individual selection of tree removal.  

Only existing roads will be used for commercial harvest and post-harvest fuels methods. 

According to the Flathead National Forest, the project will complement recent and planned work on adjacent private lands. 

The project's proposal indicates that the project will be categorically excluded from an environmental impact statement, as it fits under a wildfire resilience category of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act.

The project will be doubly exempt from an environmental impact statement because it also utilizes an emergency authorization.

Emergency authorizations are outlined in an April 2025 memorandum by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. The memo designates 112,646,000 acres – 59% of all NFS lands – as an emergency situation due to wildfire risk. The memo follows President Trump’s March 2025 Executive Order, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.

Environmental analyses to ensure best management and compliance are still being conducted, according to the Flathead National Forest.

The Big Mountain Fuels Project is entirely in the wildland-urban interface, as established by the 2021 Flathead County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.  

Tally Lake District Ranger Bill Mulholland said that the project will support a vital asset to the Whitefish community.  

“The Flathead National Forest is working in close partnership with Whitefish Mountain Resort to develop a project that supports the Whitefish community,” Mulholland said. “This project is focused on critical resort infrastructure, vital assets to local recreation and the tourism economy.” 

There is the potential for brief disruptions to trail access with project implementation. If temporary trail closures become necessary for public and operator safety, alternative routes and detours will be signed and available to maintain recreational access. 

Whitefish Mountain Resort President Nick Polumbus said the project is imperative to protect resort infrastructure and ensure the continued safe operations of chairlifts. 

“Summer is months away, but it’s never too early to plan for the wildfire season,” Polumbus said. “The project will come with a few temporary, isolated impacts to some bike trails, but we are planning for this well in advance to provide reroutes and maintain a top-notch summer experience on the mountain.” 

Public comments on this project will be accepted through March 6.  

Electronic comments can be emailed to [email protected], with “Big Mountain Fuels Project” in the subject line. Acceptable formats include MS Word, RTF or PDF. 

Mail or hand-deliver comments to U.S. Forest Service, Tally Lake Ranger District; Attn: Sarah Hash (Beaver Lake Fuels Project); 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell MT 59901 

For more information about the project, visit fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/projects/217605
To view the proposed action document, visit usfs-public.app.box.com/s/ftenawb1gsuko2cbe3bv3dc7u7mcscbf
For up-to-date Whitefish Mountain Resort summer trail information, visit
skiwhitefish.com/ 

    A map of proposed treatment for the Big Mountain Fuels Reduction Project, to be conducted by the Flathead National Forest at Whitefish Mountain Resort in summer 2026.