Big Sky Times

Finally, treatments for the Sorrel Springs Hazardous Fuels Project have been authorized by Lolo National Forest.

In a decision by the Forest Service, Lolo National Forest approved treatments for the Sorrel Springs Hazardous Fuels Project, which is located in the Ninemile Ranger District, north of Frenchtown. To reduce tree stress and fuel loading in the area, the 160-acre project's treatment will entail removing dead and diseased Douglas fir and ponderosa pine trees.

“This multifaceted project complements the ongoing fuels reduction work already completed on adjacent state land and in the neighboring Sorrel Springs subdivision,” Chris Gauger, Ninemile District Ranger, told NBC Montana. “We’ve listened to our neighbors, and the residents in this area told us directly of their desire to see fuels reduction occur on adjacent National Forest lands to address forest health in strategic areas in nearby communities.”

Throughout the course of this project's development, Lolo National Forest has maintained regular contact with both residents and partners. Since more than ten years ago, neighbors of the project area have worked together with the Frenchtown Rural Fire Department to treat fuels on their property as part of the local fire district's wildfire risk reduction program. These continuous cross-boundary and collaboration initiatives serve as the foundation for the Sorrel Springs Project.

In order to carry out this project, the Ninemile Ranger District and the Montana DNRC (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) are drafting a Good Neighbor Authority Agreement. Through a commercial timber sale managed by the DNRC, the agreement enables the agencies to combine staff and expertise to remove dead and diseased trees. It also provides a framework for both organizations to collaborate to move along projects on National Forest lands with cross-boundary benefits more quickly.

The 22-page decision memo permits pile burning, mechanical piling, and commercial and noncommercial thinning as treatment options for the unhealthy forest conditions in this region. For this project, no brand-new, long-lasting roads will be built. Incorporation is anticipated to start next year.