Rad Reid Blowdown Salvage project ready to begin

Flathead National Forest, Tally Lake District Ranger signed a decision today for the Rad Reid Blowdown Salvage Project, authorizing 512 acres of active management on Tally Lake Ranger District. Blowdown areas included in the decision are near the Reid Divide and near Grouse Mountain. The project aims to recover economic value from downed trees, reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire to protect values at risk within the wildland-urban interface, and reestablish forested conditions and facilitate recovery. The project activities include commercial harvest and post-harvest fuel treatments to address stands of trees damaged by the windstorm.

This project is categorically excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. The project is authorized under Section 605 of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) (16 U.S.C. 6591d) (Wildfire resilience projects). The Rad Reid Blowdown Salvage project is using the emergency authorities authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture under Section 40807 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

More information about the project is available on the Rad Reid project webpage at fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/projects/302693