Forest fuels reduction project near Olney OK'd

Forest officials have given the go-ahead for a fuels reduction project slated to begin his summer on Flathead National Forest lands north of Whitefish.

District Ranger Lisa Timchak on April 28 signed off on the Radnor Resource Management project on 670 acres near Upper Stillwater Lake. A majority of the project area is surrounded by private and state owned lands and is entirely within a designated Wildland Urban Interface.

The project is part of an insect and disease treatment program in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. According to Timchak’s decision memo, the health of the forest is being threatened by mountain pine beetle, dwarf mistletoe, western spruce budworm, white pine blister rust, and bark beetle and root disease fungi.

“There is a need to improve forest stand conditions and reduce fuel,” Timchak wrote.

“I recognize that treating stands... may not prevent insect and disease outbreaks,” she added. “However, I believe the design of this project is sufficient to protect, and increase resiliency of, the vast majority of the trees that will be left after treatment.”

About 197 acres of commercial thinning is planned, along with 471 acres of non-commercial treatments. All logging activity will be along designated skid trails.

Three temporary roads totaling less than 1 mile will be built to allow access to the treatment areas. These roads will be decommissioned within three years after the project is completed. No permanent roads are proposed.

Also as part of the project, the dispersed campsite area at Finger Lake will see improvements, such as a tent site and fire ring installed. Crews will also remove the culvert on LeBeau Creek, allowing the stream to reestablish a natural path.

A biological assessment says the project could have an adverse affect on Canada lynx in the region. Timchak’s memo, however, says the degree of that impact will be limited due to the project size and that steps will be taken to reduce the impacts.

“Of the 21,298 acres of mapped lynx habitat within the Lynx Analysis Unit, 0.01 percent would be treated all within the Wildland Urban Interface,” Timchak wrote.

The project is not likely to adversely affect grizzly bears.