Flathead Forest Issues Notice in Support of Tally Lake Timber Thinning Project
Located 13 miles west of Whitefish in the wildland-urban interface, the Cyclone Bill Project would cover 40,880 acres, including Tally Lake and Logan Creek. Members of the public have 45 days to submit objections before the project is finalized.
By Tristan Scott
As part of a strategy to reduce wildland fire fuels on a densely timbered tract of land surrounding Tally Lake, about 13 miles west of Whitefish on the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the Flathead National Forest issued a draft decision approving a project to thin trees and conduct other treatments on more than 40,000 acres of mostly public land.
Dubbed the Cyclone Bill Project and located within the Tally Lake Ranger District, foresters say the aim of the plan is to reduce tree densities and fuel loading on the WUI, buffering residential communities from hazardous, fire-prone sections of the forest. The project would also improve diversity and resilience of the trees and “contribute to continued timber production and economic sustainability,” according to a U.S. Forest Service proposal.
On Wednesday, Flathead National Forest officials released the draft decision notice for the Cyclone Bill Project, initiating an administrative review process and setting the stage for the public to submit objections for the next 45 calendar days.
The draft decision notice, which includes a finding of no significant impact, proposes commercial timber harvest on up to 12,331 acres and noncommercial vegetation treatments on up to 3,139 acres, including thinning and prescribed burning. It would require the additional construction of approximately 15 miles of road to the National Forest System and three miles of temporary road.
“This project aims to reduce the number of trees and accumulated combustible vegetation in areas near communities, making fires less intense and improving the safety of firefighting operations,” according to a Flathead National Forest news release announcing the draft decision and environmental assessment. “The project would also promote a wider variety of tree species, making the forest more resilient to fire and disease. Additionally, it will contribute to the continued production of timber, supporting local economies.”
Between the Flathead National Forest’s release of the project for scoping and the environmental assessment, officials modified the proposed action in response to field surveys and resource specialist input, balancing the need for the proposed action with the need to maintain and enhance resource values such as lynx and grizzly bear habitat, according to a forest spokesperson.
A proposed action document available on the Flathead National Forest website describes a forest in which conditions are considered undesirable under the 2018 Forest Plan. For example, as some tree stands ringing Tally Lake have matured, the density of younger stands have reached a point at which “vigor decreases and tree mortality through self-thinning of the stand occurs,” leading to unhealthy tree stands, a glut of fuel loading and potentially hazardous wildfire conditions.
“Tree growth and fire exclusion in these stands has resulted in dense forest conditions that could support an intense crown fire with increased resistance to control, which could threaten life and private property within the wildland-urban interface,” according to the proposal.
The absence of wildfire in the area coupled with the district’s relatively low harvest history has contributed to the poor conditions, as have insects and disease, combining to create “multiple layers of tree canopies that serve as ladder fuels, and accumulations of surface fuels.”
The Flathead National Forest says the project will “reduce wildland fuel in areas where wildland fire pose a threat to communities and community assets.”
“The Cyclone Bill project area is located west of communities at risk from wildfire and topographically aligned with prevailing wind patterns increasing potential fire behavior,” the proposed action states. “Reduced risk can be accomplished by breaking fuel continuity at the landscape level, managing for lower tree densities, and reducing surface fuels within the wildland-urban interface.”
Land ownership within the project area is approximately 81% National Forest System land, 13% private and 3% state-owned land. About 55% of the project area, or 22,636 acres, is located within the wildland-urban interface, which is established by the 2021 Flathead County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
More information about this project is available on the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63658
Anyone with questions regarding the project or the administrative review process can contact Sarah Hash at [email protected] or (406) 758-3508.