Timber sale approved for Boyle Lake

The state Land Board has approved the Boyle Lake timber sale about seven miles northwest of Whitefish.

The timber project includes 206 acres in areas west of Boyle Lake and north to Lazy Creek on the Stillwater State Forest under the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The sale is estimated to produce more than 2 million board feet of timber, and is expected to generate at least $325,000 for the State School Trust and about $61,000 in Forest Improvement Fees, according to DNRC. No new roads are planned for the project, but more than 4 miles of road maintenance is expected.

The Land Board previously approved the Beaver Lake timber sale project that includes about 647 acres of logging.

Together both timber sales make up the larger Beaver-to-Boyle Timber Sale Project. Work on both timber sales is planned to continue through 2023.

The entire project is aimed at improvement of the forest and growth maintenance, removal treatment is designed to reduce fuel loads in the Wildland Urban Interface while introducing a new age class of timber to the area and improving growth of existing trees.

The timber project is part of the area included in the Whitefish Area Trust Lands Neighborhood Plan, which was approved in 2004 and aims to generate revenue for DNRC, through recreation in the forest, and still allowing forest management to occur also generating revenue.

Dave Ring, Stillwater Unit Manger, previously said it is imperative recreation and forest management continue to coincide to keep the local lumber infrastructure viable, deliver revenue for the state Trust Land beneficiaries, and provide quality wildlife habitat, while continuing to provide the public recreational opportunities in the highly used area.

A portion of the Beaver Lake timber sale includes the Whitefish Trail section that runs from the Beaver Lake trailhead to around Woods Lake, Dollar Lake and Little Beaver Lake.

The timber project was designed to buffer the trail system from the main harvest areas, according to DNRC, and social media and signage will be used to alert recreationists when logging activity is taking place.

In addition, a proposed future section of the Whitefish Trail as part of the Close the Loop project is planned for the Boyle Lake timber project area, and thus DNRC plans to vary the retention of trees in that area to reduce some negative aesthetics effects, in addition to planting a mosaic of trees to reduce the visual impact.