Bureau of Land Management issues decision on Tenmile project
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(HELENA, Mont.) – The Bureau of Land Management has issued its Record of Decision approving vegetation treatments on 968 acres of BLM lands within the 61,000-acre study area analyzed in the Tenmile-South Helena Environmental Impact Statement.
The BLM entered into an agreement with the Forest Service in 2015 to be a cooperating agency on a fuels and vegetation management project on public lands south of Helena. The project is intended to maintain consistent quantity and quality of water within the Helena municipal watershed and improve conditions for public and firefighter safety across the landscape in the event of a wildfire.
The proposed treatments are part of a larger national wildfire reduction strategy guided by President Trump’s Executive Order 13855 – Promoting Active Management of America’s Forests, Rangelands, and Other Federal Lands to Improve Conditions and Reduce Wildfire Risk, as well as Secretary’s Order 3372 – Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of the Interior Land through Active Management. The two orders direct DOI and Department of Agriculture agencies to implement policies to improve forest and rangeland management practices by reducing hazardous fuel loads, mitigating fire risk and ensuring the safety and stability of local communities through active management on forests and rangelands.
“Though BLM manages a relatively small amount of land in the project area, we welcome the chance to contribute to the protection of the watershed and to assist in the mitigation of potential wildfire effects,” said BLM Butte Field Manager Scott Haight.
Throughout 2016 and 2017, the BLM’s Butte Field Office worked with Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest officials on the preparation of the EIS so it accurately portrayed the BLM portion of the project. The BLM and Forest Service each completed consultation on their respective project actions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service late last year. The Forest Service issued its final Record of Decision approving the project on Forest Service lands on Dec. 19, 2018.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement was published by the Forest Service in August 2017 and is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.