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Land & Resources Management
The Forest Service is strongly committed to the management of the National Forests in an environmentally sound manner. The agency's top priority is to maintain and improve the health, diversity, and productivity of forest ecosystems for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
Select information regarding the following topics from the left side navigation submenu:
- Forest Planning
- Projects (ongoing and completed)
- Resource Management Topics
- Geospatial Data - GIS
National Environmental Policy Act
NEPA analyses are completed on all activities that could have a physical or biological effect on National Forest lands. There are varying levels of analysis depending on the complexity or type of proposal.
The objectives of NEPA analyses are to:
- Fully consider the impacts of Forest Service proposed actions on the physical, biological, and economic aspects of the human environment;
- Involve interested and affected agencies, State and local governments, organizations, and individuals in planning and decision making; and
- Conduct and document environmental analyses and subsequent decisions appropriately, efficiently and cost effectively.
NEPA requires Federal agencies to use a systematic interdisciplinary approach in planning and decision making. The interdisciplinary approach ensures that:
- Environmental impacts of proposed actions are identified and considered;
- Alternatives to the proposed action are considered;
- Enhancement of long term productivity is considered; and
- Irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented are identified.
Kootenai National Forest Current and Recent Projects
Developing Proposal
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Flat Tail
Exploring vegetation and fuels management activities near the communities of White Pine and Beaver Creek, Sanders County, Montana.
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Pleasant Pheasant Project
We are proposing timber harvest; mechanical and hand piling of fuels; wildlife and aquatic habitat improvement such as prescribed burning and stream restoration work.
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Stimson Bobtail Access
Provide management access to Stimson Lumber Company lands through National Forest land. Two short segments of new road, totaling about 2600 feet (about 3 acres), would replace access on costly and currently inaccessible National Forest System roads.
Under Analysis
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Douglas Hill OHV and Dispersed Camping Areas
Recreation Site management to address increased use
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Glen Sinclair
Hazardous fuel reduction activities, including on Forest Service lands in the Wildland Urban Interface in the Glen Lake, Sinclair Creek, and Ksanka foothills areas.
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King Kong - Wildlife Habitat Improvement & Forest Health Project
Improve forest health and wildlife habitat by reducing natural fuel build-up and promoting plant vigor. Proposed activities include non-harvest fuels thinning, hand piling, and prescribed fire.
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Kootenai National Forest Over-snow Motorized Use Travel Plan
The U.S. Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement to inform a decision about the designation of trails and areas of the Kootenai National Forest which would be open to over-snow motorized vehicle use.
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Libby Creek Mining Operations
The Kootenai National Forest has received two proposed Plans of Operations for placer mineral exploration in the Libby Creek drainage.
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Libby Exploration Project
The Project is a deposit evaluation program that consists of drilling for locatable precious metals over the next four to five years.The State of Montana issued Operating Permit No. 00150 area encompasses 219 acres.
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McKay-Engle
Build resistance and resiliency to disturbance through vegetation management, reduce hazardous fuels, provide forest products, and build whitebark pine resistance to blister rust through restoration and planting
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Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan will develop administrative and management goals, objectives and practices for public lands in Forest Service Regions 1 and Regions 6.
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Pine Phlats
This project proposed hazardous fuels reduction treatments in the wildland urban interface to promote stand resilience to insects and disease; and reduce the risk or extent of, or increase the resilience to, wildfires.
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Ruby Snax - Forest Restoration & Resilience Project
The district is proposing non-harvest fuels treatment and harvest treatment in areas surrounding Logan creek and Star creek. The objective of this project is to improve forest health and promote forest resiliency.
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Snowshoe Granite 1000 Roadside Fuelbreak
Roadside fuels management project within the wildland urban interface, including hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire suppression strategy, firefighter safety, and other resource-specific objectives.
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Timberlane Campground Deferred Maintenance
The Kootenai National Forest is proposing to upgrade facilities and address deferred maintenance at Timberlane Campground. Major improvements to accommodate modern day recreation vehicles are needed.
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Vermilion River Restoration - Grouse Reach
River and habitat restoration on approximately 2,400 feet of the Vermilion River in the Grouse Creek reach, located near Trout Creek, Montana.
Analysis Completed
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East Fork Sunday Fire Salvage and Restoration
Fire salvage and reforestation in the 2023 East Fork Fire area.
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Norman McCedar
Project to reduce fuels in the Libby fireshed.
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Trojan Defense Fuels Reduction Project
The project area is located within the Kootenai Complex part of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscape areas and the Lincoln County Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) which was designated to treat hazardous fuels surrounding the community of Troy.
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Why Not, Stardust Minerals Project
"We have received three Plans of Operation to conduct small-scale suction dredging activities in Star Creek, and the Yaak River. The Forest Service will analyze effects to the resources in the project area.
On Hold
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Sunday Vegetation Management
Vegetation Management and Fuels Reduction in the Sunday Creek area.
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Swamped
Use vegetation management treatments to improve forest conditions, hazardous fuels levels, and wildlife habitat; proposal may also include transportation management, watershed improvement, and noxious weed treatment in an area southeast of Libby, MT.
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Ten Lakes Travel Management Project
Designation of over-snow motorized use areas and non-snow trail management.The Forest Service has undertaken a new Forest-Wide over-snow project to include the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area project, combined, as of 4/26/2024.
Cancelled
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Abayance to Bridge Trail Construction
Construct a 6.6 mile segment of the PNT between Abayance Bay Marina and the north side of the Pinkham Creek canyon and another 0.8 mile segment between the sound side of Pinkham Creek canyon and the Koocanusa Bridge to move trail off of HWY 37.
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Airport Firearms Range Project
Improve safe operations to the visiting public on 4.9 acres not currently authorized under existing special use permit. Allow for increased parking and construction of berms, targets, benches & additional safety operations including reduced noise.
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Coyote Improvement
Harvest of approximately 240 acres to increase stand resilency to Mountain Pine Beetles.
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Douglas Hill-Tobacco River Recreation Sites
modification of 3 recreation sites adjacent to Lake Koocanusa addressing overnight camping, dispersed sites, and ohv use
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Dry Creek Sediment Reduction
rehabilitation of deteriorating road system which is currently closed to all public motorized use, and prevent future mass wasting, sediment delivery and erosion from the road system to Dry Creek and related minor tributaries.
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Flower Creek
This project includes fuel and vegetation management through commercial timber harvest, pre-commercial thinning and fuel grinding. Also includes 1.81 miles of road storage, 1 mile of temporary road construction, and 0.23 miles of trail construction.
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Kootenai Forestwide Young Growth Vegetation Management Project
Vegetation management via precommercial and commercial harvest, & burning of activity fuels only within previously managed, second growth stands across the Forest. The project is part of the Montana Governor's Forest in Focus Initiative.
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Smeads Bench Trail 1077 Reroute
This project is cancelled because it has been incorporated into another project. The updated project name and tracking number is Smeads Pilgrim Motorized Trails Reroute - #64079.
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Stargazing Mining Operation
Operators of the Stargazing mine are proposing a mining operation that would remove approximately 100 tons of placer material from the mountainside and set up three core drilling sites to explore for minerals.
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Vermilion River Restoration
stream habitat restoration program proposed for 9 specific reaches on the Vermilion River over a 10 yr period
Project Archive
Some of our older projects can be accessed in our Project Archive.
Key Contacts
Janis Bouma
(406) 283-7774