Kootenai Forest timber projects moving ahead

Contrary to an early report that suggested three forest management projects were being abandoned along with an appeal of a court decision that blocked them, the Kootenai National Forest intends to proceed with the projects after they go through a supplemental environmental analysis.

Acting Supervisor Maggie Pittman said the additional analysis and documentation is intended to address concerns raised by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in his ruling on a lawsuit filed by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies.

The Solicitor General concluded that an appeal of that ruling would not be filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, creating the impression that the projects would be dropped.

“This is a formality in the legal process that is standard operating procedure,” Pittman said. “The Department of Justice simply withdrew the ‘placeholder’ for appeal of last year’s court ruling ... this action does not change how we are proceeding with addressing the court’s concerns on these projects.”

The three projects, involving timber sales and fuel reduction work, already are under contract with local purchasers. The supplemental review for one is available for public comment through March 30 and the reviews for the others will soon be available on the Kootenai forest’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai.

“We are confident that our analysis will fully address the court’s concerns,” Pittman said.

The Grizzly Project involves logging on 2,506 acres over a 69,000-acre project area about 18 miles northeast of Troy, with an estimated harvest of 8 million to 10 million board-feet of timber.

The Miller-West Fisher Project involves harvest dispersed over a 69,000-acre project area about 20 miles south of Libby, with an estimated yield of 8.2 mmbf.

The Little Beaver Project will be carried out on 1,864 acres nine miles east of Trout Creek and is expected to yield 74,000 tons of sawtimber and small-diameter top wood and pulp.