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U.S. Forest Service briefs Lincoln County on timber sales, stewardship agreement and objection process
Summary
A U.S. Forest Service representative told county commissioners that a major exploration project is in the objection phase with about 10 substantive letters and roughly 20 issues identified, and described timber sale plans and a new statewide stewardship agreement intended to accelerate work on 200,000 acres.
A U.S. Forest Service representative updated the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 3 about ongoing projects, litigation-related reviews and timber-sale activity. The presenter said the Libya exploration project has entered a 45‑day objection phase, ‘‘we've got about 20 issues that we're working through on the objection process,’’ and the agency expects to issue an objection response to objectors by the Sept. 19 deadline.
The presenter described efforts to reallocate road and timber funds so work can proceed while longer road‑specific funding is finalized. He said the agency recently received about $9 million back and has parsed projects so some work can be offered now, citing a sale called Fleetwood Jack on the Jackson Creek site. The presenter also briefed commissioners on a newly signed statewide stewardship agreement that asks the state to identify roughly 200,000 acres tied to Montana’s forest action plan so projects can move more quickly under Good Neighbor Authority. He told the board the agreements are intended to complement existing county stewardship work and federal Good Neighbor Authority efforts. The Forest Service representative said staff will continue to report back as objection responses and funding obligations are finalized.
