Roaring Lion timber salvage project underway

The Roaring Lion timber salvage project is underway in the Bitterroot National Forest. Falling snags near the trailheads of Roaring Lion, Sawtooth and Ward Mountain pose a public hazard. Crews are working to harvest 45 acres of the fire-killed timber, as the result of the Roaring Lion fire which consumed over 8,700 acres of National Forest and private land, along with several homes, last summer.

Around 100 truckloads of logs will be salvaged with the Douglas fir going to Tricon Timber in St. Regis, and the larger diameter ponderosa pine going to Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake.

The Forest Service wanted to get the timber harvested quickly in order to keep the wood from deteriorating. After about a year, the wood starts to deteriorate to the point that it is no longer salvageable.

Darby/Sula District Ranger, Eric Winthers also said they wanted to get the trailheads open as quickly as possible. Another plus to getting the project completed now is the weather. With the winter snow, the ground is protected from heavy equipment. Work on this project was able to be done quickly because it was categorized as a Categorical Exclusion by the Forest Service. A Categorical Exclusion or CE generally does not involve significant environmental impacts.

“CE’s have a quicker process,” said Angelo Ververis with Tricon, “the other is an Environmental Analysis or EA. With an EA, it takes longer to process, but the project can cover more acreage.”

The Copper King fire, which ravaged over 28,000 acres near Thompson Falls last summer, is undergoing an Environmental Analysis and isn’t expected to be ready until this summer. Ververis said that project could yield approximately 2,380 truckloads, or 10 million board feet.

According to the project proposal, there is about 1,700 acres on the perimeter plus trees that pose public danger along roads and trails on approximately 6,000 acres. In addition to Forest Service land, the fire also consumed State and Weyerhaeuser land. There are also concerns involving endangered species, including grizzly bears and bull trout. These factors, among other, need to be taken into consideration as the analysis moves forward. The public comment period ended on Nov. 30, 2016, however updated information is available. Sanders District Ranger, David Hattis is overseeing this project.