IF YOU CLICK ON ONE OF THE THREE
SECTORS OF THE
STARTING OPTION MAP, WE WILL SHOW YOU A CLOSE UP COMPARISON OF THAT
QUADRANT
The changes in forest management philosophy on
the Flathead in particular and Region 1 in general are displayed
here in color.
The following uses
are increasing:
Dark Blue - Wild, Scenic and Recreational
Rivers
There is a trend to compartmentalize the
forest into special areas which is especially underscored by
the increase in WSR River designation. Many of these new
recommendations are very small creeks. Although
the WSR statute does not define a size criteria for
designation, we do not think the legislators had these small
creeks in mind. It appears that the FS is anxious
to put as much land as possible into special categories that
then govern the management of that land. Once designated
or recommended for these special uses, management decisions
become much easier. Because the loss of management
flexibility is a very large downside to special use
designation, this tool should be used sparingly.
However, the use of special use or category designation is
proliferating on Western Montana forests.
Light Blue - Backcountry
This lumps inventoried roadless, unroaded and
most of the other gated, kellyhumped and road rip lands into
one category. These will be primarily
non-motorized lands. "The
primary Recreation Opportunity class is Semi-Primitive
Non-Motorized." (see >>> Suitability
Determinations). These lands are one short step
away from wilderness recommendation and it is from these lands
that the next round of wilderness recommendations will come.
Please notice that in the
crosswalk most of these lands were limited to the North
Fork. In fact much of that land was managed for uses
other than backcountry in the original plan. It now
appears that the backcountry area in the North Fork has
decreased in the Preferred Option. But in fact most of
it was recommended for wilderness and will be managed as
wilderness.
The expansion of the
backcountry areas (light blue) in the Columbia Mountain, Swan
Crest and South Fork areas comes with the accompanying loss of
general forest management. In other words, more
restrictions, less use.
Light Green - Recommended
Wilderness.
Designated wilderness on
the Flathead (dark green) has not changed in over two decades,
but areas recommended for wilderness by the FS has.
These lands are then managed the same as wilderness until
Congress acts; and it has been a long time since Congress took
any action of this nature.
There have been some
additions to the recommended areas surrounding the Bob
Marshall and Great Bear. These are for the most part
small and while probably not needed are insignificant compared
to the gross expansion of wilderness planned for the North
Fork.
The new, stand alone,
wilderness recommendations in the North Fork when joined to
the new Kootenai NF recommendation make up the wilderness
demands of Montana Wilderness Assoc for this forest. The
two forests have met roughly 90% of MWA's demand and MWA has
had similar results on other forests. MWA calls this the
Winton Wedemeyer Wilderness. Won't it be fun to tell
your buddies you're goin huntin in the Winton.
The
following are decreasing forest uses:
All shades of brown - General
Forest
The general forest is where
everybody gets to work and play. All uses are allowed,
although they are usually regulated. Most, if not all,
of the timber harvest and motorized recreation will occur on
these lands. The management intensity on these lands
will range from heavy through moderate to light (3 shades of
brown).
Notice that the dark brown,
intensive management, timber production and heavy motorized
use, has disappeared from all lands east of HWY 93.
Three out of five ranger districts, Hungry Horse, Glacier
View, and Spotted Bear, no longer have this kind of management
in their district. This is sea change in forest
management on the Flathead.
The
trend:
These two maps show how that
the FS is moving to a more restrictive, less people friendly,
more eco friendly philosophy of management. Most of the
intensively managed lands (dark brown) will be managed less
intensively (brown or light brown). Less heavily managed
general forest lands are becoming backcountry. Backcountry
is becoming wilderness. Motorized is becoming
non-motorized. Open lands are being closed.
