Flathead National Forest is rolling out a new commercial forestry project four miles south of Swan Lake.

The proposed Quill Pig Project includes 3,268 acres of commercial treatments and 653 of noncommercial understory removal near the north and south forks of Lost Creek and along Porcupine Creek and Lower Porcupine roads. About 4.6 miles of temporary roads will be built as part of the project. 

Little vegetation management has occurred in the project area since the 1990s, and wildfire has remained absent for at least a century, according to project scoping documents. As a result, the forest has become dense and disease-prone, with officials finding high mortality rates from armillaria root disease, Douglas-fir beetle, spruce beetle and western larch dwarf mistletoe in some stands. 

"Vegetation treatments are needed to improve species composition and tree vigor, recruit and retain larger trees and decrease levels of insect and disease mortality," officials wrote in the project scoping documents. "Treatment is also needed to increase the presence of more resilient, desirable tree species such as ponderosa pine, western larch and western white pine." 

At 3,921 acres, the Quill Pig Project is too large to qualify for a categorical exclusion, meaning officials must prepare and publish a full environmental assessment to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. Officials are not required to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the environmental assessment. 

Officials also intend to analyze the project under an emergency situation determination issued by the Trump administration last year, which allows the agency to forgo the typical public objection period for projects occurring in areas the federal government has designated as high-risk for catastrophic wildfire or outbreaks of forest pests and diseases. 

Public comment on the scoping notice for the project is being accepted through Nov. 3. Comments may be submitted online by clicking the "Get Connected" tab on the Quill Pig Project page, accessed through www.fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/projects. 

Comments may also be email to [email protected] with "Quill Pig Project" in the subject line. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.