Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera reports that the Red Dwarf portion of the project was awarded last fall. Larry Roberts of LTL Forestry purchased the small sale, which abuts Red Meadow Drive. Reducing fuels on Forest Service property in the area has long been a priority for neighboring landowners and for the Fire Mitigation Committee. LTL elected not to start work until July, 2011. Work must be completed by the end of September, 2011.
The principal portion of the Red Whale Project covers about 1040 acres and features both mechanical thinning and prescribed burning. The Forest Service accomplished some of the precommercial thinning last year with its own work forces. According to DeHerrera, the agency will do more precommercial thinning in the summer of 2011, both under contracts and with its forces.
The commercial timber portions of Red Whale will be sold through two stewardship contracts. DeHerrera anticipates that the first contract will be awarded around the end of April. The purchaser will begin work in July. The second contract will be awarded around the end of June.
