Forest officials seek comment on project near Trout Creek

The Cabinet Ranger District of the Kootenai National Forest is seeking public input on the proposed Tuscor Project.  

The District will also be hosting a public meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Cabinet Ranger District Office, 2693 MT Hwy 200 Trout Creek, MT 59874.

The Tuscor Project is located west of Trout Creek, in the Tuscor Creek drainage. The proposed project area lies within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) identified in the Sanders County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Both residential and other private land values are present and adjacent to forest lands and possible treatment areas. 

The Tuscor project is designed to make the forest in the project area more resilient to root disease and insects by increasing the species diversity and reducing stand densities. 

It is also intended to reduce hazardous fuels that create additional wildfire risk to the nearby community and infrastructure. Proposed treatments include both commercial and non-commercial timber harvest, as well as the application of prescribed fire, with approximately 1,394 total project treatment acres. 

The proposed action also includes road management, with maintenance on existing open roads and temporary road construction, along with three proposed over-40-acre openings. More details and specifics can be found in the Tuscor Project Proposed Action Document located on the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/kootenai/?project=64765.

The public meeting on Dec. 14 will be an open house format, with project documents and maps displayed and resource specialists available to discuss any part of the Tuscor project. 

Following scoping, district staff will finalize the proposed action, identifying treatment areas, logging systems and management prescriptions, and complete the environmental analysis for the project. Another field trip is planned in June 2024 to discuss the project and supporting analysis, before the decision is signed and finalized. A final decision is planned for July, with work on the ground beginning as soon as the fall of 2024.

The scoping period provides the public the opportunity to submit input, concerns, or support on the proposed Tuscor Project. The District takes these comments into consideration when finalizing the environmental analysis. 

The Tuscor Project Scoping period is planned from Dec. 6 to Jan. 5, 2024. Comments during the scoping period are most helpful when provided by Jan. 4, but will be accepted and considered throughout project development and analysis.

To submit comments, written comments must be submitted via mail, fax, or in person (Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays) to: District Ranger, Cabinet Ranger District, 2693 MT Hwy 200 Trout Creek, MT 59874. The FAX is 406-827-0718

Electronic comments can be submitted through CARA (Comment Analysis and Response Application) using the following web address: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=64765

For more information on the Tuscor Project, please call the Cabinet Ranger District Office at 406-827-3533.

For more information about the Kootenai National Forest, please visit the website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai or follow updates on Facebook.