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The Projects page shows current and proposed projects on the Bitterroot National Forest for watershed restoration, habitat improvement, recreation sites, timber sales, roads, and more. Projects on the Bitterroot National Forest follow guidelines under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which was signed into law on January 1, 1970.
Note: Not all projects may appear on map. See list below for complete list of projects with more information or documentation.
SOPA Reports
The Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) contains a list of proposed
actions for Bitterroot National Forest that will soon begin or are currently undergoing environmental
analysis and documentation. It provides information so that you can become
aware of and indicate your interest in specific proposals. We encourage your
early and ongoing involvement in any proposals of interest to you.
Forest Service proposal is to continue to provide trail access across Running Creek on the Selway River Trail #4, while protecting the wilderness and fishery resource. Existing bridge could be relocated and replaced, or replaced with a ford.
This is a proposal to relocate 354 feet of existing trail that has grades over 40%, and is highly eroded. A reroute of 920 feet has been surveyed and staked with grades of 15% or less.
Forest-wide timber stand improvement (TSI) thinning project to enhance growth and vigor, reduce competition through stocking reduction, provide more sunlight, water, and nutrients to residual trees by hand thinning, slashing, and pile burning.
This effort will result in clear standardized designations of where motorized/mechanized recreation is appropriate, sustainable and desirable on the Bitterroot National Forest.
Project would address current, and increase resilience to future, insect and disease issues in the project area as well as reduce hazardous fuels conditions.
The C Ben White - Stomberg trail proposal is Pack and Saddle designed, class 3 with 24" tread width and less than 15% grades. It involves new construction of 0.50 miles and 0.15 miles of road converted to trail.
Prescribed burning to reduce natural fuels while maintaining the historic fire return interval. Small tree thinning will occur within plantations and around residual trees.
Small tree thinning, handpiling, and prescribed fire on approximately 250 acres within the Wildland Urban Interface/Inventoried Roadless Area. Treatments will help to reduce ladder and surface fuels within the Wildland Urban Interface.
The Forest Service proposes to authorize Canyon Creek Irrigation District adequate access to their facilities at Canyon Lake Dam. CCID requests access to their easement to make their facilities safe as required under federal dam safety laws.
The proposed project would address immediate and long-term vegetation concerns resulting from the mountain pine beetle, reduce fire hazard, increase age and species diversity in forested stand, and protect the visual integrity of the recreation area
Como Ridge Trail will be a newly constructed mountain bike designed trail. It will be 3.02 miles located on the ridge immediately south of Lake Como. Starting at the 550 and 13200 road junction and ending at the 550 and 550A road junction.
For the section of CDT between Gibbons Pass north to the Anaconda Pintler boundary. Trail reconstruction and relocation. Previously listed as Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Travel Management.(18720 -Shultz Saddle East incorporated)
Road system management on acquired lands, including decomissioning and storage of roads, designation of OHV routes, and construction of OHV linking routes
Fuels reduction through the use of understory thinning to remove ladder fuels, hand-piling, burning of hand-piles, and prescribed understory burning. The treatments will reduce the density, quantity and arrangement of surface and ladder fuels.
The Bitterroot National Forest is evaluating the need to conduct programmatic amendments for elk, old growth, coarse woody debris and snag components under the 1987 Forest Plan.
The purpose of this proposal is to authorize adequate access to Fred Burr High Lake, Inc in order to to repair the existing unsafe ramp to the headgate and the log boom for the Fred Burr High Lake Lake dam, located in Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness
The Forest Service was a cooperating agency, assisting the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in that Agency's geothermal leasing analysis and decision. The BLM issued a record of decision on 12/17/2008.
Project to harvest, thin, and prescribe burn forest stands to improve resilience to insects, disease, and wildfire and restore the fire return intervals. Move trailheads and manage roads to improve stream conditions.
The proposal is to remove approximately 0.1 mile of road, which is 2/3 of the existing roadbed, where it closely parallels Hog Trough Creek. The primary objective is to improve the streamside vegetation and the associated fish and wildlife habitat
The proposed activities of this project are to fell and remove beetle-killed pine trees (mostly lodgepole pine, a few ponderosa pine) from four small units totaling about 36 acres.
To create a network of trails from existing single-track trails (2.8 miles), existing trails routes on road beds (4.5 miles), and proposed new single-track construction (8.0 miles).
Treats 250 acres in the Lake Como Recreation Area infested with mountain pine beetle. Harvests dead and dying trees and thins live trees to an average basal area of 50 sqft/ac.
The Stevensville Ranger District is proposing vegetation management activities in and around the Bass Creek Recreation Area to address mountain pine beetle concerns. The proposed treatments would aim to improve overall forest health in the area.
This project would examine how different silvicultural systems paired with and without prescribed burning can be used to restore and maintain ponderosa pine forests. More info: https://www.firelab.org/project/ponderosa-pine-restoration-lick-creek
Ravalli County Road and Bridge Department has requested to operate the Lost Horse Quarry for rock mineral material removal, for the purpose of rip rap rock removal
Vegetation management to reduce fuels and improve forest health-diversity through commercial contract and prescribed fire. Additional projects may include forest pre-commercial thinning; road decommissioning; fisheries passage improvements.
Project includes a range of activities including decompaction, recontouring and revegetation of unneeded roads. Implementation of will help reduce sediment sources in watersheds with sediment TMDLs, improve soil productivity and vegetative conditions
Reduce the threat of wildfire and restore the viewshed around the lookout by creating a 500' buffer (approximately 10 acres). The project proposes to mechanically remove dead and dying trees around the lookout.
The Meadow Vapor project proposes to treat accumulated fuels in the East Fork of the Bitterroot watershed in order to modify the potential for extreme fire behavior, especially along the National Forest boundary.
Vegetation and fuels treatments to reduce wildland fire threat to the East Fork community, help restore fire-adapted ecosystems, and restore stands affected by the ongoing Douglas-fir beetle epidemic.
The proposed commercial harvest includes 75 acres of ground-based logging in the ponderosa pine stand adjacent to and south of the Mill Creek trailhead.
Project purpose is to design and implement a suitable transportation system and to improve landscape resilience to disturbances, such as insects, diseases, and fire.
Small tree thinning, handpiling, and prescribed fire on approximately 320 acres within the Wildland Urban Interface. Proposed treatments will reduce ladder and surface fuels, and change potential fire behavior in the event of a wildfire.
The purpose of the activities proposed in this project is to restore disturbed areas along important fish-bearing streams. The project includes small sites along Nez Perce, Daly, and Railroad creeks.
This analysis identifies the visitor use capacity on National Forest System lands only, on the Nez Perce National Historic Trail to assist in the protection and management of trail resources.
Small tree thinning, handpiling, and prescribed fire on approximately 5 acres within the Wildland Urban Interface. Proposed treatments will reduce ladder and surface fuels, and change potential fire behavior in the event of a wildfire.
Improve landscape resilience to disturbances (such as fire, insects and diseases) by diversifying forest structure and composition, and reducing fuels. Improve habitat diversity, forage quality and quantity for mule deer elk and bighorn sheep.
This is a proposal for a relocation on Hells Half Acre trail #8.0. Reroute will be a 930', of new trail construction to avoid 500' of steep grades at 30%.
The proposed action encompasses approximately 45 acres of hazard tree removal and fire salvage located near the Roaring Lion, Sawtooth, and Ward Mountain Trailheads.
The purpose of this project is to address the health and safety concerns associated with outdated potable water system, insufficient septic, and to prevent further erosion along the bank of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River at Rombo Campground.
The Darby Ranger District proposes to exchange approximately 1,935 acres of Federal lands for approximately 1,920 acres of non-Federal lands in scattered parcels within the Rye Creek drainage in the Sapphire Mountains, east of Darby, Montana.
The Schultz Saddle Rx is approx. 6,300 acres within the 2000 Valley Complex fire. The intent of this burn would be to clean up the fuels, open corridors for winter range, rejuvenate the elk habitat and improve a grazing allotment conditions.
Dispersed recreation site restoration at 3 locations in the Skalkaho Creek/Daly Creek area. The purpose of this project is to restore disturbed areas along important fish-bearing streams and protect the natural resource.
Commercial thinning and prescribed burning on 140 acres to reduce the potential severity and impacts of wildfire and to create a forest more resilient to disturbance. Construction of approximately 0.5 miles of temporary road
The Forest Service proposes to authorize Trapper Peak Ranch adequate access to their dam, with terms and conditions, so that Trapper Peak Ranch may install an early warning device at the dam and reservoir in the spring of 2011
The Tamarack Dam owners (Trapper Peak Ranch, Steve and Jean Roth), are requesting use of mechanized transport (helicopter) for the Tamarack Dam rehabilitation. The Forest Service would authorize adequate access to allow for the rehabilitation work
This project proposes treatment in the Threemile and Ambrose Creek watersheds to reduce tree densities in both young, regenerated and mature timber stands to improve forest growth while providing forest products, jobs & income to the local economy.
Improve overall forest health in the WUI by increasing resilience to disturbance (insects, diseases, and fire) and provide wood products. Projects would be conducted in conjunction with vegetation management carried out by Montana Fish Wildlife and P
The Forest Service proposes to authorize Tin Cup Water and/or Sewer District (TCCWSD) access to their easement at Tin Cup Lake Dam, so they may make their facilities safe and restore historic storage capacity.
Harvest of dead and/or dying tress on approximately 85 acres along the Tolan Road (FS 5740 road) and Hilltop Road (FS 13343 road). Harvest activity would be confined to within 150 feet of each side of the road.
Manipulate forested vegetation to decrease the risk that a future wildland fire would develop into, or be sustained as, a stand-replacement or crown fire; support CWPP; salvage, thin to increase insect disease resistance; research.
Prescribed burning on portions of a 15,755 acre area to reduce the amount and arrangement of fuels, improve winter range habitat that will affect behavior of future wildland fires at a landscape scale and increase the quantity and quality of forage.
The West Fork Boat Launch is a developed site, equipped with a vault toilet, hardened boat ramp, information board, and parking. The proposed improvements include the installation of a picnic table, a few benches, interpretive signs on river and res
The project proposes to stop illegal off-road vehicle use and prevent associated resource damage. The resource damage that is occurring includes cutting firewood too close to the river and trespassing onto private lands with motorized vehicles.
Commercial timber harvest and thinning on about 2,300 acres between Lost Horse and Roaring Lion Creeks. Project includes prescribed burning, forest regeneration, permanent and temporary road construction,and bridge installation.
