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The Lolo National Forest is accepting public comments for 30 days on the Environmental Assessment for the Redd Bull project, located south of St. Regis between Interstate 90 and the Montana/Idaho border within the Dry, Cold, Little Joe, Twomile and Ward Creek drainages in Mineral County. Redd Bull is a collaboratively developed, integrated restoration project designed to improve the health and resiliency of forest vegetation, reduce forest fuels, restore native fish habitat, enhance big game habitat, provide diverse recreation opportunities, and support local economies.

Fire exclusion and dense vegetation growth within the project area have resulted in increased surface fuel accumulations and understory vegetation, and closed tree canopies. The high number of trees per acre and diminished species diversity have resulted in a greater susceptibility to insects, disease, and drought as trees compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Dead and diseased trees are present in the project area, impacted by root disease, bark beetles, and inter-tree competition.

The Redd Bull project includes a host of treatments such as timber harvest, prescribed burning, and non-commercial mechanical treatments. Due to existing landscape conditions and proximity to communities at-risk, the Redd Bull project includes strategically placed vegetation treatments to slow fire spread and reduce fire intensity, increasing the options for effective future fire suppression actions. Some of the vegetation treatments are also specifically designed to improve forage conditions for deer and elk.

Actions are also planned to improve fish habitat in project area streams, particularly Little Joe Creek where bull trout spawn. The project proposes to realign/relocate road segments away from streams, decommission unneeded roads, store some roads that may not be needed for a long time, replace culverts, and reduce the sediment delivery potential from roads to improve conditions for native fish.

Recreation management activities proposed include construction of new trail, improving trail, managing dispersed campsites, and making improvements to developed recreation sites and trailheads.

“The project would provide benefits to multiple resources and our local communities” said Carole Johnson, Superior District Ranger. “We look forward to hearing what the public thinks of the analysis through this comment period.”

The Redd Bull Environmental Assessment is available on the Lolo National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lolo/landmanagement/projects. Comments can be sent to Redd Bull Project Leader, Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District, P.O. Box 429, Plains, Montana 59859, or emailed to [email protected].