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Forest Service looking for comments on Boundary
County area forest project |
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January 29, 2017 |
 The
Idaho Panhandle National Forests is inviting the
public to review and make comments on the Deer
Creek Project Environmental Assessment. The Deer
Creek project includes timber harvest, timber
stand maintenance, fuels treatments, and road
maintenance on approximately 30,000 acres of
National Forest System lands located north of
Moyie Springs, Idaho, on the Bonners Ferry
Ranger District.
This project was developed in collaboration with
the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative (KVRI)
as part of the Collaborative Forest Landscape
Restoration Program. “KVRI has worked
collaboratively with the Forest Service under
the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
Program to develop the Deer Creek project; while
there will be details to be addressed in
implementation, I believe Alternative 2
represents the best option for enhancing
restoration efforts and meeting the needs of the
local community,” says Patty Perry, KVRI
facilitator.
The primary focus of the Deer Creek project is
to manage the area’s forests in a way that
maintains or improves their resilience to
disturbances such as wildfire, drought, and
insect and disease outbreaks. This project is
also designed to improve recreational
opportunities, provide opportunities for local
contractors and contribute to the health of the
local economy. District Ranger Kevin Knauth said
that he was particularly excited about the
recreational improvements in the project
proposal. The Deer Creek project is just one
part of a much larger effort to pursue holistic
ecological restoration throughout the lower
Kootenai River watershed. “Working with the
Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative to develop
and implement projects has been a key to our
success so far,” said Ranger Knauth.
The official 30-day public review and comment
period started January 22 and is open until
February 22, 2016. For more information on this
project, contact the Sandpoint Ranger District
office (208) 265-6643 or visit the project
website at
http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=44051.
This website provides the Deer Creek project
documents. These documents include analyses Deer
Creek area vegetation, fisheries, Native
American rights and interests, forest fuels,
soils, hydrology, recreation, and more. The site
also has maps and discussion of the various
Alternative Actions proposed for the area,
including Alternative 2 mentioned by Ms. Perry
above. |
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