Two Forest projects set to move forward on east side of reservoir
The fishing was slow but the sledding was fun at the Lion Lake fishing derby last week.
Two Forest Service projects are set to move forward on the east side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir.
The Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest recently released the final decision notice and finding of no significant impact and August 2018 updated environmental assessment for the Hungry Lion Resource Management Project.
The project includes a blend of timber sales, roadwork and trailwork planned for the Desert Mountain-Lion Lake area.
The proposed plan calls for about 2,614 acres of logging that would produce merchantable timber including 899 acres of “seed tree” logging, which is more intense thinning that leaves just select larger seed tree left.
Most of the logging is in small units along the Emery Creek Road and near Emery Bay on the east side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir.
Other smaller units are just outside the Coram Experimental Forest near Abbot Bay.
The plan also calls for 3.8 miles of temporary roads and the reconstruction of 4.8 miles of old road that will be placed into storage after the project is completed.
The plan also calls for about 759 acres of prescribed burns.
In addition, about 12 miles of historic trail will be added, the longest is a trail that runs through the Coram Experimental Forest on the flank of Desert Mountain.
A fishing pier is also in the plan for the south end of Lion Lake.
The district has also released a finding of no significant impact, and a draft decision notice for the Betty Baptiste Project.
The project area is located on the eastern side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir and includes portions of the Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear Ranger districts.
The Betty-Baptiste project calls for a variety of logging and thinning projects a several units from Paint Creek to Dry Parks Creek.
All told, the project would include about 5 to 6 million board feet of timber harvest over 940 acres.
In addition, about 71 acres would see thinning around western white pine to encourage that species.
“We’re trying to reduce competition with that species,” project leader Michele Draggoo said previously.
All told, 2.7 miles of temporary roads would be built and three miles of road would be bermed along with six miles of road reclaimed.
Some thinning would also open up vistas along the East Side Reservoir Road.
The project was first proposed in 2012, but Draggoo noted that planners were pulled off the project to work on Forest Plan revision and other priorities.
More details on Betty Baptiste can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=40128
The Hungry Lion documents are available at: www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50134.