Tag Archives: Forest Plan revision

Total of 60 objections filed to Kootenai & Idaho Panhandle forest plans

Environmental Issues, News, ,

A total of  60 objections were filed by the deadline for the proposed Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle National Forest Plan revisions. Of direct interest to the North Fork, 38 concerned the Kootenai Forest, which lies along the Flathead Forest’s western boundary . . .

One thing’s certain about the draft management plans for the Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle national forests – they’ve got lots of kinks to work out.

By last week’s deadline, 60 people or organizations had filed hundreds of pages of objections to the draft plans. The two national forests, on the northwestern Montana-northern Idaho border, are the first in the nation to develop new long-term management plans.

“The new process allows the public a greater view of the wide variety of perspectives we’re trying to balance,” Idaho Panhandle spokesman Jason Kirchner said on Friday. “In 1987, this was mostly a timber-focused production plan. We’ve learned quite a bit about forest management since then. The new plan focuses on ecosystem management, in trying to balance various uses, impacts and needs of the forests.”

Read more . . .

Group crafts proposal for Whitefish Range area

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Over the weekend, Jim Mann of the Daily Inter Lake posted a nice article on the recently completed work of the Whitefish Range Partnership . . .

After meeting regularly for 13 months, a group of people representing a highly diverse range of interests recently signed off on recommendations to the Flathead National Forest for long-term management in the North Fork Flathead drainage.

Considering there were 30 signatories going along with a requirement for complete consensus or no recommendations at all, the accomplishment of the Whitefish Range Partnership is remarkable, particularly at a time when divisiveness dominates the national political stage. “Polarization is real easy,” said former state legislator and Secretary of State Bob Brown, who chaired the partnership. “It’s easy for politicians and political leaders to play to their own loyalists and it’s hard to compromise, but when you’re sitting across the table from someone who is your fellow community member, you see how much you have in common.”

And that’s exactly what the privately organized partnership did, meeting roughly twice a month at venues where home cooking and beer were on tap. The idea was to work through differences on wildland fire management, weed management, wildlife, timber management, backcountry trails, mountain biking and trail use, fisheries management, snowmobiling and recommended wilderness.

Read more . . .

Diverse stakeholders recommend Whitefish Range forest plan

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , ,

The Flathead Beacon just posted a lengthy, well-written article by Tristan Scott about the just-concluded Whitefish Range Partnership agreement.

Like the earlier Missoulian piece, this one is also recommended reading . . .

Bob Brown, a former secretary of state and longtime Whitefish legislator, pulled into the snow-caked parking lot outside Ed and Mully’s Restaurant at the base of Big Mountain, his car bearing a bumper sticker that read, “Compromise is not a Four Letter Word.”

Ever the diplomat, Brown was there to broker a meeting organized by a coalition of longtime adversaries turned unlikely bedfellows — tree huggers and tree cutters, eco-warriors and timber sawyers, hikers, horsemen, mountain bikers, cabin owners and nearly everyone else with a stake in the management of public lands on the Flathead National Forest.

They represented three-dozen interest groups who historically clashed over public land use on Montana’s forests; who for decades pitted wilderness against timber production, non-motorized against motorized recreation, commercial interests against wildlife. They were advocates accustomed to digging in their heels, entrenched in their ideologies and not given to making concessions.

Read more . . .

Whitefish Range Partnership celebrates accord

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Rob Chaney of the Missoulian posted a first-rate article about the final Whitefish Range Partnership meeting and the agreement’s significance.

Recommended reading  . . .

In the Bible’s First Book of Kings, Solomon nearly has to chop a baby in half before two women claiming to be its mother can resolve their dispute.

No swords were pulled at the table where the Whitefish Range Partnership found a way to let loggers, wilderness advocates, snowmobilers, mountain bikers, river rafters and cabin owners share 300,000 acres of the Flathead National Forest. But the roomful of longtime adversaries agreed having a Solomonic deadline actually helped them build the trust to share the land.

Last Monday, partnership members shared chili and champagne as they presented Flathead Forest Supervisor Chip Weber with their final agreement. Thirteen months in the making, the deal could help the U.S. Forest Service settle even bigger debates across the Rocky Mountains.

Read more . . .

Whitefish Range Partnership reaches consensus on Forest Plan recommendations

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

The Hungry Horse News posted their article on the recent Whitefish Range Partnership meeting . . .

A group of stakeholders have reached consensus on a collaborative document for future management of the North Fork area.

The Whitefish Range Partnership has been meeting for the past several months in preparation for the upcoming Forest Plan revision process for the Flathead National Forest. The meetings were moderated by former state senator and secretary of state Bob Brown, of Whitefish.

Most stakeholders said the process went well.

Read more . . .

Forest Plan revision open house rescheduled for October 29

News

Following the recent partial government shutdown, the Flathead National Forest has has rescheduled the Forest Plan revision open house for Tuesday, October 29. Here’s the official announcement:

The forest is hosting an open house on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, at the Supervisor’s Office (650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT) from 5 PM to 8 PM. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to meet with Forest Service specialists working on an assessment of the Flathead National Forest, the first phase of forest plan revision. This will be the same information shared on recent field trips. The open house provides an opportunity to engage for those who could not attend the trips. For additional details please visit the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision page on our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/forestplanrevision.

Legislation and forest plan work put North Fork in spotlight

News, , ,

The Daily Inter Lake has a fairly lengthy article on some recent events, both local and international, keeping the North Fork in the news. It’s a good read . . .

For all its remoteness, its small population and its tiny village capital of Polebridge, the North Fork Flathead River drainage has recently been the center of a lot of attention.

And it will continue to be, with Congress currently considering legislation tied directly to the drainage and with Flathead National Forest officials embarking on planning efforts that will affect federal lands west of Glacier National Park…

Meanwhile, the Flathead National Forest officially kicked off its latest forest plan revision process on Wednesday with a meeting that attracted nearly 40 people to discuss an assessment process that is now required under forest planning rules. Assessment involves evaluating existing information about ecological, economic, and social conditions and trends on the forest. The following day, there was a forest planning field trip to the North Fork that attracted about 35 people, reflecting high interest in that portion of the Flathead Forest…

Read more . . .

Flathead National Forest open house scheduled for October 3

News,

As part of the kickoff for the Forest Plan revision, the Flathead National Forest is hosting an open house October 3 . . .

The Flathead National Forest is hosting an open house on Thursday, October 3, 2013, at the Supervisor’s Office (650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT) from 5 PM to 8 PM. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to meet with Forest Service specialists working on an assessment of the Flathead National Forest, the first phase of forest plan revision.

The Flathead National Forest is embarking on a multi-year process to update its forest plan, the document that guides management of your public lands. The forest plan provides direction for managing resources and activities such as recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, vegetation and timber production. Forest plan revision is achieved in a three-phase process: assessment, revision, and monitoring. The assessment evaluates existing information about relevant ecological, economic, and social conditions and trends. It also looks at the land management plan within the context of the broader landscape. The 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule calls for an enhanced commitment to collaboration and public engagement throughout the revision process.

Read more . . .

Forest plan revision overview posted

Commentary,

Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof authored an informative article in the Flathead Beacon yesterday explaining the importance of the Forest Plan revision process. The Flathead National Forest is just getting started on this effort, which will take several years to complete . . .

For many people, the Flathead National Forest is the place where you can camp, hike, ride, ski, hunt and fish, observe wildlife and flora, gather firewood and Christmas trees where timber is harvested and fires are managed. Some enjoy the developed areas, others venture deep into the wilderness and many explore the areas in between. What people may not know is how much effort goes into managing these 2.4 million acres of public lands.

Management is guided by the Forest Plan. The plan is periodically revised to reflect current conditions. The forest was well into the plan revision in 2005 when a court case found the rule under which the planning effort was happening was not legal. As such the Flathead’s plan has not been revised since 1986. Now with a new planning rule, the Flathead National Forest is beginning the first phase of a multi-year planning process to revise the Forest Plan. The intent of the planning framework is to create a responsive planning process that informs multiple use management and allows the Forest Service to adapt to changing conditions, including climate change, and improve management based on new information and monitoring…

Read more . . .

Third forest plan revision field trip scheduled for Sep. 12

News, ,

In the midst of everything else they do, the Flathead National Forest has started the process of revising their Forest Plan. According to the Forest Plan Revision web page, “Forest Plans provide strategic direction to guide management of forest resources and provide a framework for decision making on site-specific projects and activities.”

The last Forest Plan was established in 1986. They hope to have the new one in the bag by 2016. This time around, they are required to have better transparency and consultation with the public.

As part of this effort, they are running a series of field trips this year, open to the general public. The third trip is on September 12. Here’s the press release . . .

The Swan Lake Ranger District will host the third of four field trips to kick off the collaborative effort for forest plan revision on Thursday, September 12,2013. This trip will focus on terrestrial and aquatic habitats, threatened and endangered species, species of conservation concern, and invasive species. Each of the public field trips focus on subject matter important to the forest plan revision effort. On these field trips we ask people to provide input to help us accurately assess the current conditions we have on the forest as they pertain to the topic of the field trip. The trips will also be an opportunity to experience the distinct geographical areas that make up our ranger districts.

The Flathead National Forest is embarking on a multi-year process to update its forest plan, the document that guides how we manage your public lands. The forest plan provides direction for managing resources and activities such as recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, historic and sacred sites, vegetation and timber production. Forest plan revision is achieved in a three-phase process: assessment, revision, and monitoring. The 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule calls for an enhanced commitment to collaboration and public engagement across all three phases, including outreach to groups such as youth.

The last two trips are planned to run from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Transportation is provided for all the field trips. The trips will begin and end at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with one additional pick-up/drop-off spot on the way to the area we are visiting. The second pick-up/drop-off point for the September 12th trip will be at the Swan Lake Campground just off of Highway 83 at 9:30 AM.

  • September 12 – Terrestrial and aquatic habitats, threatened and endangered species, species of conservation concern, and invasive species (Swan Lake Ranger District)
  • September 26 – Inventoried roadless areas, recommended wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers (Glacier View Ranger District)

 * Social science, economics, and the role and contributions of the Flathead National Forest will be a component of each of the field trips.

The information shared and the feedback received will be used to develop and finalize the assessment, determine needs for change, and to draft a proposed plan. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the collaborative process as the plan is developed over the next few years.

Please RSVP to Wade Muehlhof (ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or 406-758-5252) at least one day before the field trip(s) you plan to attend. Please let us know if you have any special accommodation needs. For additional details please visit the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision page on our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5422786&width=full.