KALISPELL — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on a proposal to improve habitat and reduce forest fuels on the Ray Kuhns Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Flathead County.
The 1,560-acre WMA, located in the northwestern corner of the Flathead Valley between Kalispell and Whitefish, is managed by FWP to provide wildlife habitat, particularly white-tailed deer winter range, and compatible public recreational opportunities. The majority of the property is forested, and the proposed project area encompasses approximately 358 acres of forest within the east parcel of the WMA.
FWP is proposing the project due to increasing risks of wildfire, insects, and forest disease. Tree mortality and degrading forest conditions within the proposed project area have increased due to forest succession, fire exclusion, drought, and increasing occurrence of Douglas-fir bark beetle infestation within the WMA and surrounding area.
To treat these issues, FWP would conduct activities such as commercial thinning of merchantable trees, removal of sub-merchantable trees, prescribed burning, native grass seeding and noxious weed control.
Road work and logging activities would comply with Montana Forestry Best Management Practices and the Montana Streamside Management Zone law. To minimize the spread of noxious weeds, all equipment would be cleaned and inspected by FWP before moving onto the FWP lands. Exposed bare mineral soils would be reseeded immediately and any weed infestations would be treated with herbicides indefinitely through annual FAS weed management efforts.
Burning would be used to reduce surface fuel loading, promote aspen regeneration, and benefit fire-adapted grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Burn plans would be developed in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
The deadline to comment is March 21, 2025 at 5 p.m.
To comment and read more about the proposal, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/news/