HELENA — Helena National Forest officials plan to cut corridors up to 250 feet wide as part of a fuels reduction project.
The project calls for removing dead trees along 491 miles of national forest system roadways, or about 9,415 acres.
The dead trees will be felled up to 125 feet from both sides of roads in the Lincoln Ranger District and up to 100 feet on both sides of roads in the Helena and Townsend district.
The project is in response to the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The beetles have killed thousands of trees on at least 60 percent of the 980,000-acre Helena National Forest.
The project is scheduled to begin next week and could last for five to seven years.