Forest project OK'd for Hungry Horse area

A final decision from the Flathead Forest determined there would be no significant impact from a proposed forest project near Hungry Horse.

The Hungry Lion Resource Management Project area is on the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District. It includes Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram, stretching east to the Great Bear Wilderness and south to the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The decision includes 2,614 acres of commercial timber harvest, of which 1,304 acres are within the wildland-urban interface, to reduce the risk of wildfire.

“This decision will improve forest health and reduce hazardous fuels ... while contributing wood products to the local economy and improving future productivity of suitable lands,” Forest Supervior Chip Weber stated in his decision.

The decision also notes that proposed fuel breaks along Forest Service Road 38 will help to break up fuels “so that it is less likely for the fire to move across the landscape unchecked.”

Skyline and ground-based logging systems will be used in the commercial harvest.

The decision also proposes 189 acres of understory removal, which will remove hazardous fuels adjacent to private property without commercial timber harvest. To improve western white pine stands, approximately 608 acres of sapling thinning and 759 acres of prescribed burning are planned at higher elevations.

Vegetation management activities would be accessed through an estimated 3.8 miles of temporary road and 4.8 miles of historical roads.

Up to 12 culverts would be replaced or maintained, six aquatic organism passage structures would be installed, and 1.4 miles of road in upper Emery Creek would be rerouted to restore hydrologic processes, water quality and aquatic habitat.

Approximately 12 miles of historical and social trails would be added to the NFS trail system at Lion Hill and Desert Mountain, to create sustainable recreation opportunities adjacent to communities. A fishing pier would be constructed near the South Lion Lake day-use area, and parking improvements would occur at the North Lion Lake trailhead.

The decision and an updated environmental assessment are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50134.