Bitterroot Forest Proposes Phase 2 of Darby Timber Project
The Bitterroot National Forest is proposing Phase 2 of the "Darby Lumber Lands" Project in the Sapphire Mountains east of Darby. A Draft Decision Notice and a Finding of No Significant Impact has been released for a period of public review and any objections from those who have previously commented on the plan. The deadline is April 10.
Tod McKay of the Bitterroot Forest said the first part of the project was completed in 2016 and this phase would include five new motorized connector trails and loop routes for ATV travel, along with decommissioning other roads and trails in the area. The project will have commercial timber harvests, non-commercial thinning and prescribed burning to improve forest health. The project is in the South Fork Sleeping Child and Rye Creek drainages inside a 27,000-acre boundary. For more information, check the project website.