Why It Matters: Without proactive forest management, forest health declines and the risk of high-intensity wildfires increases, which is devastating for fish and wildlife habitat and can lead to public land closures that limit access for sportsmen and women. Forest health improvement projects not only reduce wildfire risk to protect nearby communities and support local forest industries, but they also diversify and enhance habitat for wildlife.
Highlights:
- On February 9, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter supporting the Granite Moccasin Project on the Flathead National Forest in Montana.
- The Granite Moccasin Project proposes various timber harvests and other vegetation management treatments to improve forest health, reduce the risk of severe wildfires, and improve habitat diversity for wildlife in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River watershed.
- Despite claims from anti-forestry groups, the project’s science-based forest restoration treatments will improve resiliency to wildfires and not negatively impact wildlife.
In December 2025, the U.S. Forest Service announced the Proposed Action for the Granite Moccasin Project in northwest Montana. CSF supported the Proposed Action to move forest stands in the project area towards the desired future conditions stated in the 2018 Flathead National Forest Land Management Plan. Specifically, the U.S. Forest Service will use various commercial and noncommercial treatments, including prescribed fire, to reduce tree densities and fuel loadings in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), improve diversity and resiliency of terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation, and provide forest products through active forest management to support the local economy.
The project is consistent with local WUI wildfire risk management goals, including the Flathead County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the Montana Forest Action Plan. Roughly 54% of the proposed treatment units meet the Healthy Forest Restoration Act WUI definition. The U.S. Forest Service plans to prepare an environmental assessment for the project that will provide an additional opportunity for public input.
In Congress, Subcommittees of the House Natural Resources Committee held hearings this year on wildfire and forest management related issues and the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA). FOFA is a priority for the sportsmen’s community, forest industry organizations, state forestry agencies, and other conservation organizations. Led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Congressman Westerman and Congressman Peters, H.R. 471 passed the House in January 2025 (279-141). S. 1462, led by CSC Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Padilla, and Sheehy, advanced through the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee (18-5) in October 2025. The strong votes both versions of FOFA received demonstrate the broad bipartisan support for modernizing federal forest management through the reforms in FOFA, and CSF continues to work with partners to encourage the Senate to bring the legislation to the floor.
