Cedar Thom project moves forward
MINERAL COUNTY – The supervisor of the Lolo National Forest paid a visit to the weekly Mineral County Commissioner’s meeting last week to keep decision makers in the loop on what’s happening with a project that has been trying to get off the ground for several years.
Tim Garcia, Lolo National Forest Supervisor, came to the meeting to let commissioners know what changes may be made to the proposed Cedar Thom logging project that has been in development for almost ten years. Garcia said the project was in the final stages of analyzing an environmental impact statement regarding the site. He said he wanted to speak with the commissioners after they sent him a letter describing their concerns with the Cedar Thom plan.
“The point of my visit today was to go through point by point and talk to them about their concerns,” Garcia said. “I wanted them to understand where I was coming from and I wanted to understand what their concerns were. The main concerns revolve around some of the timber units that we chose and didn’t choose. There were also concerns about road management and wildlife issues.”
Garcia said, at the end of the formal environmental analysis process, a decision is made regarding how to proceed with the project. He said part of the process will involve re-examining parts of the plan to see if the concerns of Mineral County Commissioners can be factored in before the process moves ahead.
“In some cases, we will go back and get some clarification from the team that put the analysis together,” Garcia said. “It was a really helpful conversation. It helped us be aware of some things that we will go back and look at again.”
Mineral County Commissioner Roman Zylawy said he was encouraged by the meeting and Garcia’s willingness to work together with county officials to move forward a plan that could have a substantial economic benefit to the local economy.
“Today we were discussing our hopes and desires,” Zylawy said. “Since Mr. Garcia came on board, we feel like there is a new, refreshing attitude in terms of being understanding, empathetic and a good listener to what we’ve been screaming at the top of our lungs about for so long. He actually wants to help us get more use out of our forest. Overall, we feel like we have some people who want to work with us and not halt the project all together.”
The Cedar Thom project could produce approximately 20 million board feet of lumber and take years to complete.