From the Thursday, July 1, 2004 issue of the Missoulian . . .
Flathead forests burned in the summer of 2003 could yield more than 40 million board feet of public timber, with new rules putting the harvest beyond the reach of some environmental appeals.
On June 25, Flathead National Forest officials announced a draft plan to salvage log areas burned by the Robert and Wedge Canyon fires last summer.
The Robert fire, north of Columbia Falls, covered about 52,900 acres, 13,100 of which are located on the national forest. The Wedge Canyon fire burned across some 54,400 acres, including 21,500 acres of national forest land near the Canadian border west of Glacier National Park.
The draft salvage plan calls for logging more than 3,000 acres on the Robert fire, with a target of 20 million board feet. On the Wedge Canyon fire, forest officials hope to log some 2,700 acres, resulting in 22 million board feet.
Nearly half of the logging would be accomplished with helicopters, using 45 landing sites, each up to 2 acres in size.
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If you're interested...
The public has through Aug. 10 to comment on a Flathead National Forest proposal to salvage logs on lands burned by the Robert and Wedge Canyon fires in 2003. The proposal is available online at www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead, under the "NEPA Projects" link. Those interested can write to the Glacier View Ranger District, P.O. Box 190340, Hungry Horse, MT 59919. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to comments-northern-flathead-hungry-horse-glacier-view@fs.fed.us. Forest officials have scheduled field trips of the planned salvage areas for July 17 and July 21. Call (406) 387-3800 before July 9 to reserve a spot.
Read the entire article . . .
Posted by nfpa at July 1, 2004 10:41 AM