(Missoula) – A major forest management project in southwest Montana is moving forward after a federal court victory.
The United States District Court for the District of Montana has greenlit the Gold Butterfly Project in the Bitterroot National Forest east of Corvallis (Core-Vall-Iss)
The initiative authorizes over 7,000 acres of commercial harvest, thinning, and prescribed burning.The Justice Department says the multi-year project aligns with a March 2025 executive order by President Trump aimed at boosting timber production and reducing wildfire risks.
A federal judge briefly halted the project in March over potential impacts on transient grizzly bears, but cleared it last week after the Forest Service provided a full analysis. The ruling can still be appealed to the U.S.Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
