The Swan Lake Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is proposing a salvage harvest of burned and beetle-infested trees near the site of last summer’s Condon Mountain Fire. The project is proposed for about 583 National Forest System acres, according to the national forest.
The purpose of this tree salvage project is to recover merchantable wood fiber affected by the Condon Mountain Fire in a timely manner, according to a statement from the national forest. Officials say the project will provide forest products to the local timber industry, contributing to short term timber supply and long-term sustainability of timber on NFS lands. Due to expected decay rates of fire-affected trees, timely harvest is essential to ensure their merchantability.
In late July, 2012, the Condon Mountain Fire started as a result of a lightning strike and affected approximately 5,500 acres. The fire was contained in late October. The project area is a few miles northeast of Condon in the Swan Valley.
There will be a two week scoping/comment period on the Condon Mountain Fire Salvage Project. To submit input, provide comments by Friday, April 26th. The proposal is available online link text here(www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/projects), from the Swan Lake Ranger District Office, 200 Ranger Station Road, Bigfork, Montana, or call the ranger station at (406) 837-7500. For more information, please contact Michele Draggoo, Project Leader, at (406) 387-3827, or Rich Kehr, Swan Lake District Ranger at (406) 837-7500.