Forest Service restoration focused in Elkhorn mountains

The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Service office received $2.8 million in funding from the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Program – which aims to improve “the health and resilience of forest landscapes across National Forest System land and state, tribal and private lands,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website – to implement a series of projects in the Elkhorn Mountain range.

The project will take place on 13,500 acres of Forest Service lands and 6,270 acres of private property within the Elkhorn Cooperative Management Area and include efforts such as meadow and shrubland restoration, and the reintroduction of fire and weed mitigation efforts.

The Forest Service hopes to improve wildlife habitats and restore the landscape to more historic conditions with project completion. It will also reduce the intensity of wildfire and improve watershed, according to the project abstract.