The U.S. Forest Service is hosting an open house on the Flathead National Forest draft management plan, a broad long-term strategy for plan for the 2.4 million acre tract of federal land in Northwest Montana.
The meeting is Thursday, Sept. 8 from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Flathead National Forest Office at 650 Wolfpack Way in Kalispell. Planning team members will be available to answer questions during the open house. There will not be a formal presentation.
After nearly three years of public meetings and analysis, the agency released the draft version of its revised forest plan on May 27, unveiling a proposed blueprint for everything within the Flathead National Forest, from recreational opportunities to designated wilderness, timber production, wildlife and habitat.
The agency has developed four alternatives within the plan that include varying degrees of priorities. The revised forest plan identifies suitable uses of National Forest System lands and estimates of the planned timber sale quantity for the forest. The plan also identifies priority watersheds for restoration and includes the evaluation of recommended wilderness areas and eligible wild and scenic rivers.
The agency is also proposing four forest amendments for the Helena, Lewis and Clark, Kootenai, and Lolo national forests, along with the revised forest plan for the Flathead National Forest, to implement regulatory mechanisms for habitat protection in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem in support of the de-listing of the grizzly bear, according to the Forest Service.
The deadline to provide public comments is Oct. 3.