The 'rest of the story' about the Kootenai Forest Plan
The Jan. 21 Hungry Horse News notes criticism of the new Kootenai National Forest Plan and Record of Decision from both timber interests and one environmental group.
Loggers claim that the projected cut of 47.5 million board feet is too low, while Headwaters Montana decries the wilderness limbo that the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area is left in — again.
However, this only provides a tip of the iceberg view of a Forest Plan that’s gone completely off the rails. Loggers and local politicos are fond of wailing loudly about wanting more “balanced use” of public lands after what they view as excessive environmental protection.
Yet a scan of the KNF Plan reveals the “rest of the story,” with “balanced” being perhaps the last word that comes to mind. In terms of excessive environmental protection, we find the following on the Record of Decision page 8:
• Wilderness: 93,700 acres (4.2 percent of the Forest)
• Recommended wilderness: 86,800 acres (3.9 percent)
• Wilderness study areas: 34,100 acres (1.5 percent)
• Wild an scenic rivers: 41,000 acres (1.8 percent)
• Research natural areas: 9800 acres (0.4 percent)
Over on the logging, roading and motorized-use side on the Record of Decision page 21 and 24, we find:
• Wheeled motorized use: 74 percent of the Forest (1.64 million acres)
• Snowmobiles allowed: 86 percent of the Forest (1.9 million acres)
• Mechanized use: 91 percent (2 million acres)
• General forest: 63.5 percent (1.4 million acres)
• Suitable timber base: 36 percent (791,400 acres)
• Projected timber volume: 47.5 million board feet with current budgets
• Allowable sale quantity: 80.2 million board feet with higher budgets
While it’s true that these logging numbers are down from the “bad old days,” when an allowable sale quantity of 227 million board feet turned the Kootenai into a moonscape visible from satellites, it’s clear that those who favor motorized, mechanized and industrialized public lands are the big winners here, with the KNF acting as a Chamber of Commerce to deliver goodies to the locals, and clear water, wildlife, and habitat protection be damned.
Brian Peck lives in Columbia Falls.