Forest plan draft to be released in January

More than 20,000 public comments were submitted to the Flathead National Forest on its draft revised forest plan along with a proposed grizzly bear conservation strategy including four other national forests in Western Montana.

The forest plan is designed to provide a management strategy for the 2.4 million-acre forest, balancing the often disparate interests of resource extraction, conservation and varied recreational uses.

The 70-day comment period ended May 15 and attracted the attention of about 370 individuals, local, state and federal agencies, businesses, nonprofits and trade organizations.

The remaining 19,880 submissions came in the form of petition signatures and form letters.

The Flathead National Forest began the process of revising its forest plan in 2013 and expects the process to take about four years. It’s the first overhaul of the landscape-level plan since it was created in 1986, although it has been amended several times over the years.

Since the comment period closed, forest officials have reviewed the comments and will next respond to those concerns as they create a draft environmental impact statement.

That document, including a proposed action and several alternative actions, is scheduled for release by January 2016.

Following a 90-day public comment period, a draft record of decision will be published by the end of the year, with a final decision due in June 2017.

To view forest-plan comments and other documents, go to www.fs.usda.gov/flathead/fpr, or go to www.fs.usda.gov/flathead/gbamend to view the proposed grizzly bear strategy amendments.