The Forest Service is asking for public comment on the proposed Thorne Creek Fire Salvage project located within Sanders County on the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. The purpose of the project is to harvest dead and dying timber, cut and remove roadside hazard trees to improve public safety and plant new tree seedlings to help forest regeneration in areas impacted by the Thorne Creek fire.

The Thorne Creek fire was ignited by lightning on July 7, 2021, and burned through the summer and into fall, impacting approximately 39,000 acres north and east of Thompson Falls. Most of the burned area is inaccessible and located within Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) except for portions along the northern and southern boundaries of the fire. This project does not include timber harvest, road construction, or reconstruction within IRAs. Salvage opportunities within the burned area were constrained due to agency restrictions within IRAs and the limited road access.

The project proposes to harvest dead and dying timber on approximately 610 acres in select locations to recover the economic value of forest products and contribute to the local economy. Timely implementation of salvage operations is necessary because the volume and quality of wood products deteriorates rapidly after a fire due to insects, stain, decay, fungi and weather which all act as deterioration agents in fire-killed trees .

Despite the impacts of the fire, this area will likely remain popular for activities such as recreation, firewood collection, mushroom picking, hunting, and forest management. To continue to facilitate and provide access for these activities, the project proposes to remove dead and dying trees to along the Graves Creek Road (NFSR 367) and Liver Ridge Road (NFSR 7657) to mitigate safety hazards.

In areas that burned at high severity, there is little to no seed source remaining for natural tree regeneration. To address this condition, the project includes tree planting on approximately 5000 acres in severely burned areas, including proposed salvage units.

The proposed activities would likely begin in the summer of 2022, with harvest and associated activities anticipated to be completed in one to two years. Tree planting could occur for up to 10 years depending on funding and availability of planting stock. For more information about this project, visit website http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lolo/landmanagement/projects.

Comments must be sent by November 29, 2021, to:

Thorne Creek Fire Salvage Project

Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District

P.O. Box 429

Plains, Montana 59859

Comments may also be sent electronically to [email protected].