USFS planning work in Flower Creek

Libby district ranger Nate Gassmann appeared at a meeting of the Libby City Council Tuesday evening to update members of the council regarding the United States Forest Service’s proposal to thin growth, reduce fuels and decommission some roads in the Flower Creek watershed near Libby. The watershed is the primary source of drinking water for residents of the Libby area.

Desired conditions within the watershed area, Gassmann said, are not being met.

“This municipal watershed is a highly valued area where desired conditions are to develop and maintain healthy forests that are resilient to insect and disease outbreaks as well as develop and maintain forest fuel loading and distribution to miniminze adverse fire effects,” Gassmann wrote in the project summary. “Existing conditions are not meeting these desired conditions due to increasing impacts from bark beetle activity, root rot expanasion, excessive fuel loadings and conditions conducive to unwanted, high severity wildfire.”

Gassmann said the project, which is intended to improve forest health and resiliency and to reduce dangerous fuel levels, will be managed entirely under authority granted by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act as amended by the 2014 Farm Bill. The bill grants the agency the authority to act on forest projects after consideration of just a single alternative and limits the objection process to only groups or individuals who have submitted comments during the formal comment process.

Gassman said there are three primary factors creating concern for forest health within the Flower Creek drainage: root diseases, insect infestation and excess fuel presence.

“Root diseases are currently killing numerous trees and are otherwise impacting a lot of the forest stands in the project area,” Gassmann wrote in the project summary. “Armillaria spp. root disease is the main root disease agent, but Heterobasidian spp. root disease and Schweinitzii spp. root and butt rot are also contributing to butt decay, decline and tree mortality mainly in grand fir and Douglas-fir. Due to various factors, the forest in the project area contains more susceptible tree species such as the grand fir and Douglas-fir than they did historically, and less of the tree species such as the ponderosa pine, western larch, western red cedar and western white pine that are less susceptible to being infected and killed by root diseases.”

Gassmann also noted infestations of bark beetles in several trees in the Flower Creek drainage. The condition of trees, weakened by disease, drought and wind, have made them more susceptible to infestation and insect damage.

“Douglas-fir beetle and fir engraver are increasing, utilizing host trees weakened by other disturbance agents such as root disease, drought and windthrow,” Gassmann wrote in his report. “The high levels of root disease in some of the stands within the Flower Creek project area are likely predisposing trees to bark beetle attack. Drought has also been a contributing factor in recent years increasing bark beetle abundance. Tree mortality from the bark beetles is elevating the hazardous fuels levels in numerous stands throughout the project area as well as decreasing productivity of these stands. Because the forest in the project area contains more grand fir and Douglas-fir trees than historically, these bark beetle species are impacting the stands to a greater degree than they do historically.”

The proposal includes a number of harvest and timber treatments to help thin out the existing stands as well as remove deadfall and reduce the density of available fuels on the forest floor.

“Desired conditions of this project also involve increasing productivity of the land,” Gassmann wrote. “Forest Plan management direction authorizes tree harvest on all land proposed for treatment. Most all proposed units are on lands designated as suitable for timber production, with emphasis on cost-effective production of timber resources, while protecting the productive capacity of the land and timber resource. Timber productivity is to be maintained or enhanced by utilizing harvest prescriptions and practices that create healthy, resilient stand conditions, while protecting soil, water and residual tree components. Conditions that promote regeneration of desired tree species composition would be created by implementing the proposed actions. Thinning in existing dense stands allows trees to release and grow more freely, as well as favoring more desirable species compositions. Treatments also provide a benefit to the local economy and support our society that relies on wood products.”

The proposal also calls for decommissioning approximately one mile of existing roads, while preparing two additional miles for storage. Roads proposed for storage are upgraded to be in compliance with applicable best management practices, including such improvements as additional ditch culverts, surface water deflectors, drivable dips and upgraded stream crossing structures. None of the roads proposed for decommissioning or storage are currently open for motorized public travel.

The proposed project was open for public comment during a 30-day period which ended Wednesday, Feb. 17. Gassmann said the agency will evaluate the comments received and issue a final decision about the project as soon as practicable.