Many Missoulians enjoy the Blue Mountain Recreation Areas. You can tell that by the number of cars in the parking lots. It is a great area to walk a dog or just have some fun.

If you have spent some time in the area walking, hiking, or playing frisbee golf you may have noticed the trees that have blue spray paint on their trunks or the few trees with pink flagging wrapped around the trunks. These area different from the trees that sustained damage from our epic wind storm.

Tree After Storm
Credit: Chris Wolfe
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Tree After Storm
Credit: Chris Wolfe
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When we saw the trees with the spray paint, we assumed they were going to be removed, but we didn't know why, as many of the trees did not appear to be damaged. We also didn't know why some trees had blue paint and the other trees had pink flagging. So I reached out to the Lolo National Forest to find out more about it.

Erik Frey Explains Blue Mountain's Painted Trees

I spoke with Erik Frey, from the Lolo National Forest Service, who is the project leader for the timber sale, and he answered some of my questions.

This project is part of the Wildfire Adapted Missoula (WAM) plan to help manage the fuels included in the recreational area to help with wildfire management.

The blue spray painted trees are to be removed. The pink ribbon trees are marked as a possible temporary road to access the trees to be removed. According to Frey, any roads would be temporary, and the Forest Service will restore the area to its original state.

We will bring all the roads back to the state they were in, whether it was on a trail system or the ground. Demolish the road and bring it back to the way the land looked. -Erik Frey

According to the WAM report hand thinning of 100 acres of forest is set to begin this year. The WAM project started taking shape in 2016 and is to be implemented over the next 20 years. The project is to improve 'crown spacing' between trees, reducing the risk of wildfire spread.

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A number of other individuals are involved in the project. Tim Seaman is the Silviculturist writing all the prescriptions for the work being done. Deputy District Ranger Shaun O’Connor has been working throughout the field implementation phase of this project. Hilary Markin is our acting public affairs officer. 

If the public has any questions regarding the project they can reach out to the Missoula Ranger District at 406-329-3814.

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Gallery Credit: Ace

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