Forest Planning: Lolo National Forest Plan

Summary: The Lolo, Bitterroot and Flathead Forests are considered together for Forest Plan purposes. They are referred to as Western Montana Planning Zone (WMPZ).

The Lolo Forest Plan will not be released until the Forest Service decides how to proceed under the court ruling against the 2005 planning rule. Individual projects will continue under the old rules and through NEPA processes. A best guess for the release of the plan will be sometime in 2008.

MWA supports:
    1. Wilderness Designation for these areas:
    • Monture Creek
    • Great Burn
    • Lolo Peak
    • Quigg Peak
    • Stoney Mountain in the Sapphires
    • Cube Iron-Silcox, north of Thompson Falls
    • Sheep Mountain

MWA’s goal is to maintain the level of protection for roadless and recommended Wilderness found in the current Forest Plan—one of the most protective in the country. The current Management Area 11 Classification prohibits most motorized use and is considered just a step away from Wilderness protection. Conservationists want to ensure that the new Forest Plan maintains the protections for wildlands that exist under the old Plan.