The U.S. Forest Service is signing off on a project to reduce wildfire risk in Missoula and Mineral counties.
The Sawmill-Petty project is south of Interstate 90 and Alberton.
The decision authorizes various treatments within the nearly 17,000-acre project area.
Crews will thin, pile and burn the area to reduce the risk of wildfires and smoke for nearby communities.
Work is expected to begin as early as this summer.
The USDA released the following information:
The Forest Service has issued the final Decision for the Sawmill-Petty project to reduce the risk of wildfire and associated smoke to nearby communities, enhance firefighting effectiveness and increase public and firefighter safety on portions of the historic Ninemile Ranger District in Missoula and Mineral counties. The project is located south of I-90 and Alberton, Mont., and will also provide a transportation system that meets public, administrative and fire response needs and contributes to the sustainable supply of timber to local economies.
The decision authorizes various treatments within the 16,879-acre project area to improve the forest conditions and reduce wildfire risk. Treatments include thinning, slashing, piling, and burning by hand, prescribed burning and timber harvest. Treatments will increase ecosystem function and resilience by retaining large, fire-tolerant trees, increasing tree spacing to limit potential crown fire spread and reducing “ladder” and ground fuel.
“This Decision meets our goals to improve overall forest health and reduce risk to nearby communities from high intensity wildfires,” said Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest Supervisor.
Road-related project activities will address access needs, while also helping to restore water quality and aquatic habitat. The project will include road decommissioning, storage, upgrades, maintenance and culvert removals or replacements that will reduce sedimentation. Additionally, timber harvesting included in the project will provide wood products and support local rural economies.
Based on further analysis, the final decision drops 3.6 miles of permanent road construction and associated treatment units, as well as dropping treatment in three additional units based on field verification of lynx habitat including in the Garden Point and Burdette Inventoried Roadless Areas.
The Decision includes a programmatic Forest Plan amendment to change Management Area (MA) designation on about 7,076 acres and a site-specific Forest Plan amendment to exempt specific areas of the project from MA standards related to big game cover/forage ratios. This allows the project to better address fuels reduction and forest health priorities, while still providing cover and forage habitat for elk and other big game.
Implementation of the Sawmill Petty project will begin as soon as the summer of 2023. For more information, visit the Lolo National Forest project page here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lolo/landmanagement/projects or call the Ninemile Ranger District at 406-626-5201.