For the better part of a decade, large pockets of rust-colored dead trees have been appearing across the forests of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area as mountain pine beetles have killed hundreds of thousands of lodgepole pine trees.
There's little forest managers can do to stop the tiny little bugs' advance, but they are trying to quell the high fire hazard the insects leave behind.
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is seeking comments and suggestions on a proposal to reduce fuel loading on up to 1,000 acres of national forest land near forest recreation developments and private land along state Highway 21. The area is seven miles northwest of Stanley.
This area, called Cow Camp, is currently experiencing an advanced mountain pine beetle infestation that is killing large amounts of the forest. According to SNRA north zone fuels planner Matt Filbert, the project purpose is to reduce the wildfire risk to people who live nearby the area, which is along Valley Creek.
The project area is identified as a wildland-urban interface zone in the 2004 Custer County Fire Mitigation Plan.
Houses and other buildings in the Cow Camp area are of particular concern and are thought to be vulnerable to wildfire due to their proximity to heavy fuels.
The project also aims to maintain healthy tree stand conditions, reduce conifer encroachment into meadows to retain natural fuel breaks and to manage plants in Forest Service campgrounds to improve safety and aesthetics.
To reduce wildfire risk to buildings, trees will be thinned, and low-lying branches will be removed to create "defensible space" within 120 to 200 feet of structures and developments.
Further fuel reduction will be achieved by thinning insect-attacked, diseased and dead trees by creating "patch cuts" of five to 15 acres where all trees will be removed to mimic the effects of wildfire in lodgepole pine ecosystems. Pine trees will also be removed from meadows.
Up to nine temporary road segments totaling 2.5 miles would need to be built to fully implement the project. All temporary roads are planned to be reclaimed at the project's conclusion.
The project will begin this summer, if approved through the course of an environmental study.
To get involved:
For additional information on the SNRA's Cow Creek forest health and logging project, contact Matt Filbert, north zone fuels planner, at (208) 727-5046. Comments should be sent to Project Leader Bobbi Filbert, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, 5 North Fork Canyon Road, Ketchum, ID, 83340, or by e-mail to bfilbert@fs.fed.us.
Electronic comments must be submitted in a format compatible with Microsoft Word. Comments will be most useful if received by June 8, 2005.
