ShareTrails | Proposals in Montana: Bitterroot National Forest and Swan Mountain

Montana has several Forest Service proposals on the horizon. The first released project is the Bitterroot Front Project.

The Bitterroot National Forest is located in southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho. The proposed project from the U.S. Forest Service will consider treatments over 144,000 acres in Montana only. The proposed projects will include forest resiliency plans and reforestation such as thinning, prescribed burns as well as road maintenance and recreation improvements. This project is in the scoping phase which means it’s in the beginning stages of the process to inform the creation of more specific plans.

One of the greatest threats to outdoor recreation is forest closure due to wildfire. As land agencies propose forest treatments BRC believes it is crucial to support these efforts so that forests are healthy and well maintained in order to prevent these devastating fires. Not only will this project address forest health treatments but also road maintenance and recreation improvements. The recreation community needs to voice their concerns of the number of roads and trails we are seeing closed throughout the country. This project should not be an excuse to close any more recreational opportunities. You can read the project proposal from the USFS here. You can submit a comment letting the Forest Service know you support projects that will improve forest health and recreational access by using the tool below.

The second project we have on our radar is not in a public comment period yet. Members have expressed interest and concern in the Krause Basin Project located in the foothills of Swan Mountain in the Flathead National Forest. The USFS is in a collaboration phase to work with locals, and other interested parties before they start the scoping and NEPA process. This area of Montana has already seen numerous closures and provides world class trails for motorized and non-motorized users. You can read more about the project and access past meeting information here. BRC intends to be involved in this process to ensure continued access for all users, and we will keep you updated. If you have any on the ground information regarding either of these areas, please reach out and let us know so we can be a productive partner in this process.