The U.S. Forest Service Northern Regional office in Missoula has unveiled an emergency salvage logging plan targeting more than five million acres across Montana and the Idaho panhandle, citing widespread tree damage from severe windstorms and drought stress.

The plan responds to destructive wind events in December 2025 and April 2026 that toppled and damaged extensive stands of conifers across the region. The Forest Service argues that removing dead and damaged timber will reduce wildfire hazards, recover economic value from timber, and prevent outbreaks of bark beetles and other wood-boring insects that thrive in freshly downed trees.

“Wind-felled and damaged trees of conifer species native to the Northern Rockies are highly susceptible breeding material for associated native bark beetles, including pine engraver beetles, spruce beetle, Douglas-fir beetle and potentially fir engraver and several species of wood boring insects,” Forest Service documents state.

One component of the broader plan is already underway. In March, the Forest Service issued a decision to salvage log the Prichard Blowdown unit near Prichard, a 28-acre parcel damaged in the December windstorm. That project serves as a pilot for the larger emergency authorization.

The Forest Service issued an eight-page emergency plan document on July 9, giving the public only one week to submit comments. The public comment period closed on June 29. The agency projects the overall salvage operation could span three to five years and may require construction of temporary roads or maintenance of existing forest roads to haul timber.

The emergency designation bypasses standard environmental review procedures. The Forest Service will not require a formal environmental assessment or issue a “no significant impact” finding before beginning work. The project also will not be subject to the pre-decisional objection review process that typically allows stakeholders to challenge Forest Service decisions before implementation.

Wilderness areas are exempt from removal under the plan.

The windstorms struck forests already stressed by several years of drought in both Montana and Idaho. That combination of water stress and mechanical damage created conditions where beetle populations and disease can spread rapidly through standing dead timber.

Conservation groups have disputed the Forest Service characterization of the situation as an emergency requiring expedited logging. Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the agency has overstated the threat to justify the scope of the project. “The Forest Service has manufactured an emergency to justify logging 5 million acres, putting endangered wildlife and land that belongs to every American at risk,” Akland said.

The emergency plan affects forest lands across the panhandle and into Montana. For North Idaho residents and businesses concerned about forest management and its effects on watershed health and local economies, the decision carries implications for water quality, timber availability, and forest composition over the coming years.

Related to broader water management challenges in the region, Idaho has secured $2 million in low-interest loans for water infrastructure upgrades in Kootenai County, and the state has worked to avoid water cutoffs for Snake River trust users despite severe drought conditions. Additionally, SBA disaster loans are available to Shoshone County residents and businesses affected by recent windstorms and drought.