Rattlesnake Area Logging Under Consideration, Public Comment Period Open

The Marshall Woods Restoration Project has been in the works since 2008, and could be finalized this summer. Forest Service planning team leader Tami Paulsen says the plan will impact an area of high interest to Missoulians.

"The area lies immediately northwest of Missoula, it's in the Marshall Creek and Woods Gulch area, and portions of the lower Rattlesnake Creek drainage," Paulsen said. "We have multiple activities proposed including vegetation management, meadow restoration, prescribed burning, and thining, and we've got some road and trail work."

The original proposal contained an option for commercial logging in the Rattlesnake to thin areas at high risk of fire. After hearing from the public, the forest service now has four options under consideration, only one of which contains commercial logging. Paulsen says a surprising number of letters have poured in during the comment period.

"Yea I would say that were getting more a little bit more feedback than we would normally experience," said Paulsen. "We've received 80 comments so far, the comment period started on March 6th, and it was scheduled to end on April 6th, and you know given the interest we decided that we would allow some more time for both. In my experience here on the Lolo, I think probably 40 is more common."

The new public comment due date is April 30th. Next week, the Forest Service will begin offering field trips to the public to explain the plans.