Thinning project planned at Beaver Lake
The Flathead National Forest is seeking comments on a thinning project planed for 174 acres of land north of Beaver Lake. The goal of the project is to reduce forest fuels and make the area more resilient to wildland fire.
The Talley Lake Ranger District recently released its environmental assessment for the project and is taking comments until Jan. 25. The project area is about 200 acres and is located about four miles west of Whitefish and north of U.S. 93.
According to Tally Lake District Ranger Lisa Timchak, residents in the Elkhorn Subdivision west of Whitefish have expressed concern about the condition of hazardous fuels in the vicinity near their homes. Fire reduction projects have taken place in the area including the Beaver Lake South project in 2010.
Three alternatives are included for the Beaver Lake North project: a no action alternative, the proposed action and a third alternative that responds to issues identified during a previous public comment period.
The stand is currently dominated by lodgepole or Douglas fir trees with minor amounts of western larch, spruce and ponderosa. Large live trees would remain.
Under the proposed action, commercial harvest would be used on 71 acres, 83 acres would be understory fuel treatments with hand slashing and pile burning and 39 acres of burning. In this action, about 400,000 board feet of timber is expected to be harvested.
The third alternative is a modification of the proposed action and comes as a response to public concerns about the effects on cover for wildlife for their shelter and travel through the area. Treatment is proposed with 53 acres of commercial harvest, 50 acres of understory fuels treatments and 39 acres of prescribed burning without timber harvest. Under this alternative, about 200,000 board feet of timber is expected for harvest.
The commercial thinning in the third alternative was modified to protect sapling-sized trees. Certain areas of the thinning project also was reduced in size and modified as a way to preserve areas for wildlife.
In both action alternatives, an existing road about a half-mile long would be temporarily opened and improved to allow for access. No new roads will be constructed and Beaver Lake Road would not be changed.
Major activity on the site is expected to begin this year and last about three years. Prescribed burning is expected to be completed before 2018. A decision notice and finding of no significant impact is anticipated later this winter.
Comments may be submitted to: comments-northern-flathead-tally-lake@fs.fed.us or sent to Tally Lake Ranger District, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901.