U.S. Forest Service

Recreationists in several National Forests must keep all food and attractants safely contained and away from wildlife. That’s mandated by Food Storage Orders. A group of volunteers are helping enforce the orders amid staffing cuts

Recent changes to federal environmental rules mean some logging projects are moving forward without public input. Tristan Scott works for the Flathead Beacon, and has been covering a 13,000-acre logging project moving forward west of Blacktail Mountain in the Flathead. He sat down with MTPR’s Elinor Smith to share his reporting.

A mining company has received federal approval to explore the possibility of building a mine under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. The permit enables Hecla Mining company to begin surveying the silver and copper ore in an old mine shaft 20 miles south of Libby.

A federal court ruled Wednesday the U.S. Forest Service broke the law when it expanded livestock grazing in grizzly bear habitat north of Yellowstone National Park.

The Congressional Western Caucus met with federal and state officials at a conference in the Flathead this week. They called for more aggressive natural resource management, more state control and less federal bureaucracy.

A U.S. Forest Service office in Missoula will close as part of President Donald Trump’s push for consolidation. A department memo says all nine regional offices will be phased out over the next year.

Montana officials and the federal government have agreed to co-manage a section of national forest lands.

After a rash of federal job cuts earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service is reversing course and asking people qualified to fight fires to come back to work. Missoulian outdoors reporter Sam Wilson sat down with MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more.

The U.S. Forest Service will be allowed to use fire retardant this summer despite ongoing litigation; The head of Montana’s Department of Military Affairs is retiring.

As summer fire season approaches, planes will soon be dropping red retardant to try to stifle the fire's spread. A new lawsuit says the Forest Service’s use of that retardant violates federal wildlife protections.