From the Sunday, July 3, 2005 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
Flathead National Forest officials' preferred long-term management plan substantially reduces forest lands considered "suitable" for timber harvesting, and it includes a new recommended wilderness at the north end of the Whitefish mountain range.
Although timber harvest technically can occur on as much as 866,616 acres, lands identified as suitable for timber harvest equal 328,744 acres -- about half the current suitable-timber base of 670,000 acres.
The Forest Service recently unveiled proposed management areas through a color-coded map that splits the forest into areas that would be set aside for different types of management, including established wilderness and "high-use developed areas."
Other aspects of the plan, such as provisions for access, will be proposed gradually during the next few months, during which Flathead forest officials will lead field tours, meetings and other opportunities for public input.
A draft plan will be released during the fall, offering a complete package for public review, said Rob Carlin, the forest's lead planner.
Read the entire article . . .
Posted by nfpa at July 4, 2005 11:06 AM