lolo national forest

The Lolo National Forest manages the entire portion of GBCA’s mission area in Montana. This includes 18 roadless areas and 105,129 acres of the Great Burn Proposed Wilderness. The Lolo National Forest is currently operating off of a management plan from 1986, and is now in the process of updating this plan.

What’s a Forest Plan?

A Forest Plan is a land management plan that sets the management direction and priorities for an entire Forest and is the foundation for land use and resource development on a forest-wide scale. Forest Plan’s do not direct site specific or local projects, such as how to manage an individual trail, rather they set the parameters for how projects within a Forest are managed for the entirety of the time the Forest Plan is in effect. National Forests are directed to revise their plans every 15 years, however the last time the Lolo National Forest released a new plan was in 1986, meaning Forest Plans can have significant impact for decades.

Where are we in the process?

The Lolo National Forest is about a third of the way through the planning process. They released their Proposed Action on January 31, 2024 and plan to release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in winter 2024/2025.

The Lolo NF will be accepting comments on the Proposed Action until March 31, 2024.

Why you should get involved

This Forest Plan will direct management of the Lolo NF for a generation. The Forest has stated that comments made on the Proposed Action will drive the development of the DEIS. You can help to ensure that vulnerable species like mountain goats, bull trout, white bark pine, wolverines and grizzly bears are protected and the Great Burn remains wild and untrammeled.

How to write a comment

Do you care about a particular trail? A specific river? How an area will be managed and what uses will be allowed?

This is your chance to be an advocate and help shape how your National Forest will be managed for the next 20-30 years. Don’t be afraid to be specific and include the “why” in your comment.

A few things we will be asking the Lolo NF are:

  • Maintain the existing Hoodoo (Great Burn) Recommended Wilderness boundaries. In the Proposed Action, the Lolo NF has maintained the exisiting boundaries for the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness. This is a great thing! Thank them!

  • Recommend the Ward-Eagle inventoried roadless area and Upper North Fork-Meadowcreek inventoried roadless area as Wilderness. Currently these areas are classified as non-motorized backcountry, but deserve “recommended” status for their outstanding wilderness characteristics and wildlife habitat value.

  • Prioritize wildlife habitat connectivity and corridor areas. The entire stateline area is key for large landscape connectivity, as well as more local elevational connectivity.

  • No non-conforming uses in recommended wilderness. By maintaining no mechanized or motorized in recommended wilderness areas we can ensure these areas remain eligible for permanent protection in tne future.

Stay Informed

Additionally, the Lolo NF is hosting multiple engagement events in the coming weeks where you can learn more about the planning process. These events are informational and official comments should be submitted using the link above.