Forest Service previews Chalk Buttes fuels project; public open house set for Feb. 10 in Ekalaka

Kurt Anson of the U.S. Forest Service briefed Carter County commissioners on a proposed fuels-reduction and forest-restoration effort in the Chalk Buttes area, previewing maps and describing the treatments the agency will propose.

Anson said pile burning has not been possible this winter because of inconsistent snowfall and wind, and that crew plans emphasize mastication, selective thinning and, in some units, limited logging. He described an initial GIS screening that excluded slopes steeper than 35% and noted some units would require temporary roads that would be removed after work concluded.

The Forest Service plans to begin the formal National Environmental Policy Act process in February once a delayed timber report is received, Anson said, and he announced a public open house at the Ekalaka County Events Center on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. He told commissioners the project area totals roughly 570 acres in the timber-sale footprint, and he said adjacent treatments since 2020 total about 970 acres, which informed planning and treatment options.

Commissioners discussed funding options — including Title III funds — road-network limits for hauling, and the possibility of using mastication where burning is not feasible. Anson also reported an outstanding environmental cleanup from a helicopter crash (an estimated 35 gallons of fuel soaked into soil) that still requires remediation and coordination with an insurer.

The Forest Service will provide maps and materials at the Feb. 10 meeting and return to the commission for further discussion as the NEPA process advances.