Panhandle seeks comment on forest management project

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests and Bureau of Land Management are inviting comments on the draft Environmental Assessment for a forest management project proposed near Bonners Ferry.

The “Westside Restoration Project” is approximately 60,000 acres and is located within Boundary County, encompassing the Myrtle, Snow and Caribou Creek watersheds and Dodge Peak and White Mountain areas. Proposed restoration work includes timber harvest, prescribed fire, and precommercial thinning for fuels reduction and forest health in the wildland-urban interface.

Developed in collaboration with the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative, the proposed activities would accomplish objectives of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, such as those mentioned, but also improvements for wildlife, recreation, aquatics, and other resources. The restoration efforts involve working with other landowners, the local community and organizations, agency partners, and the public, in an all-lands approach to forest restoration with an emphasis on these watersheds.

The Westside Restoration Project Draft Environmental Assessment is posted on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56888.

Your comments specific to the project and the analysis are valuable, please do so by Jan. 4, 2021. Comments may be submitted electronically to: comments-northern-idpanhandle-bonners-ferry@usda.gov. Please put the name of the project in the subject line and please include your name and mailing address. To submit hardcopy comments, please mail them to: Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Attn: Jennifer Anderson, 6286 Main Street, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.

Panhandle Resource Advisory Committee will meet Dec. 9

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a virtual meeting on Dec. 9 to review and make a recommendation on proposals seeking Secure Rural Schools Act funding for projects that benefit federal public lands. The meeting will begin at 9 am. The public is invited to join online or via phone.

The 15-member Idaho Panhandle RAC first solicited project proposals in September for Title II funds received through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. Proposals under consideration include projects that improve forest health, watersheds, roads and facilities on or adjacent to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Applicants must be a resident of Idaho and should reside within Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah or Latah Counties to the extent practicable.

Following a presentation of project proposals, the RAC will participate in collaborative decision-making to make recommendations to the US Forest Service for project prioritization and funding.

Meeting information is available on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ipnf/workingtogether/advisorycommittees.

The Secure Rural Schools program provides critical funding for schools, roads, and other municipal services to more than 700 counties across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.