Forest Plan Revision – fall 2023 roundup

Once upon a time, in a city far away, the U. S. Forest Service posted its schedule for revising national forest plans on its national website.  There was even a map showing the revisions completed under the 2012 Planning Rule.  Today, they are not where they used to be on the website, and I couldn’t … Read more

Report: Flathead National Forest Shirks Its Road Reclamation Duties

A new report from the Swan View Coalition in Montana gives a thorough rundown on how the Flathead National Forest in particular – and the Forest Service and Congress in general – are using the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and other collaboration and “restoration” initiatives to keep its bloated road system and fool … Read more

Incorrect Road Data Presented to Flathead NF Collaborative

Here’s another letter from Swan View Coalition Chair Keith Hammer to the Flathead National Forest and the Meridian Institute.  The letter is shared with Mr. Hammer’s permission, as it is part of the public record. The letter also highlights more problems and frustrations with the “collaborative” process as being carried out by the Forest Service … Read more

More Flaws in Flathead NF “Collaborative” Process

For a few years now some of us have been trying to hammer home the point – based on our actual experiences – that not all Forest Service “collaborative” processes are created equal, and in some cases, lead to even greater feelings of mistrust and frustrations. One such recent example of a questionable “collaborative” process … Read more

Collaboration: Not Easy for Place Based Bills Either

When I got back from holiday shopping and reflecting on how national forests could use a little “good will toward folks”, I found that a reader sent me the below link from a press release about environmental groups and Wyden’s Eastern Oregon bill. It was interesting to me that while we were engaged in all … Read more

Another invite-only “collaborative” leads to unprofessional Forest Service conduct

Yet another invite-only, exclusive “collaboration” involving public U.S. Forest Service land management has sprung up in Montana. This time the collaborative group is called the Whitefish Range Partnership (WRP), and they are focused on roughly 350,000 acres of the Flathead National Forest’s portion of the Whitefish Range above the cities of Columbia Falls and Whitefish. … Read more

Swan View Coalition Shares Perspective on Collaboration

(The following two columns are guest posts from Keith Hammer with the Swan View Coalition in Kalispell, Montana. Feel free to make comments below, but if you have any specific questions regarding the Swan View Coalition’s perspective on collaboration, please contact Swan View Coalition directly. Thank you. – mk) Swan View Coalition on Collaboration By … Read more

What Rep Daines Mandated Logging Bill Would Mean for National Forests in Montana

Here’s some new information to consider regarding Rep Doc Hastings (R-WA) and Rep Steve Daines (R-MT) mandated logging bill, the so-called “Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act” (HR 1526), which passed the US House on September 20. In Montana, it’s estimated that Rep Daines’ mandated logging bill would result in a 6 fold increase … Read more