Forest projects aim to keep fire out of watersheds

Two key watersheds that contribute to the Whitefish municipal water supply are set to benefit from a pair of wildfire fuels reduction projects.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is providing close to $1 million in funding to improve forest and watershed health across the state. The effort is part of Montana’s Forests in Focus Initiative, with funding coming from the state’s wildfire suppression account.

About 1,300 acres of Flathead National Forest land within Haskill Basin is proposed to be treated to break up hazardous fuels in the upper elevations.

The Whitefish Municipal Watershed Fuels Reduction project will receive an $80,000 boost from the state grants. Scoping will begin this year, with action likely in late 2016.

The project has been envisioned since 2004 when Whitefish City Council approved a resolution in support of fuels reduction in Haskill Basin to prevent a catastrophic wildfire.

The Whitefish Face Working Group has met twice a month for the last year to craft a plan for the watershed. Their recommendations include fuels reduction and some new non-motorized trails, which both fall under the Forests in Focus Initiative.

The Whitefish Face group includes a diverse membership of forestry officials, recreationists and conservationists. Some of the representatives are F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co., Headwaters Montana., Whitefish Mountain Resort, Haskill Basin Watershed Council, Flathead Fat Tires and Whitefish Legacy Partners.

Michael Reichenberg, silviculturist for the Tally Lake Ranger District, says the collaborative work of the group ultimately led to the state funding.

“They took all that time and effort to put forth a proposal that is very useful,” Reichenberg said.

“They discussed where timber harvesting should take place, where they wanted the trails, and identified places in the watershed where fuel reduction activities were appropriate. From that collaborative effort, they had a proposal ready to go.”

Flathead National Forest owns 1,801 acres of land in the Second Creek and Third Creek watersheds. Most of the terrain is high-elevation and steep with limited access.

“There hasn’t been any management up there ever due to the fact that we have poor access,” Reichenberg said.

The sub-alpine stands are nearing the end of their lifecycle, the Engelmann spruce are starting to die and beetles are threatening, Reichenberg said.

“Ecologically, the forest up there is getting old,” he added. “It’s accumulating fuels and it’s time for a stand replacement fire.”

But the impacts of such a large wildfire would be catastrophic for the watershed that provides about 75 percent of Whitefish’s drinking water. Which is why the Forest Service is taking preventative actions.

“If we do have a fire event, hopefully it doesn’t turn into a stand replacement,” Reichenberg said.

The forest treatment could include some mechanical mastication and prescribed burns.

“In some places with little access we’ll be sending in crews with chainsaws,” Reichenberg said.

The Whitefish Face group also helped craft a fuels reduction plan for about 2,700 acres of Flathead National Forest land northwest of Big Mountain.

The Taylor Hellroaring Resource Management Project is set to receive $50,000 in state funding to reduce the risk of wildfire in the watershed.

The proposed project will break up hazardous fuels to the west of Whitefish Mountain Resort and establish stands of western larch and western white pine. New open pockets in the higher elevations could be used to establish white pine blister rust-resistant whitebark pine.

Reichenberg said the forest dynamics in the Hellroaring area are similar to Haskill Basin.

“We haven’t done any management there since the 1960s due to the fact that it’s isolated and a small area,” he said. “When we’re looking at ways to spend money from Congress, we’re looking for areas to use the economies of scale. Taylor Creek kept falling down on the priority list, but the Forest in Focus grant gave us a good opportunity to get the project up and running.”

Reichenberg notes that a fire in the watershed could impact the water quality of Whitefish Lake, which serves as another source of the city’s water supply.

Both the Haskill Basin and Hellroaring projects are expected to get underway next year. Reichenberg says work shouldn’t take more than a year to complete.

“Our hope is to use the grant money to get a good start on these project,” he said.

Another area the state grants are being used is to address Flathead National Forest lands susceptible to the Douglas-fir beetle.

About 500 acres of forest land adjacent to F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. property is set to be treated, with 2.5 million commercial board feet harvested.

Stoltze has expressed concerns that building beetle populations in the area will expand onto their property and damage their timber resources.

A total of $30,000 of state funding will go to the Douglas-fir beetle project.