Flathead National Forest
Visitors to the Flathead National Forest find spectacular rugged terrain and alpine lakes – ideal settings for many outdoor activities, like hiking, mountain climbing, and water skiing. Tucked into the northwest corner of Montana, the forest stretches over 2.3 million acres along the west side of the Continental Divide and is bordered by Glacier National Park and three other national forests.
The Flathead is home to the largest population of grizzly bears in the lower 48 United States and provides habitat for 250 other wildlife species, including 22 varieties of fish and 50 types of birds.
What We Are Doing
Wildfires over the past several years have burned more than 150,000 acres of the Flathead National Forest near the Flathead River. These fires caused extensive damage to critical wildlife habitat for many animals, including the endangered grizzly bear.
We are planting Douglasfir, western white pine, western larch, Lodgepole pine, and Englemann spruce to help restore wildlife habitat. The trees we plant will also protect the area watershed by reducing potential for soil erosion and mass wasting (downward movement of soil and rock) on steep mountainous terrain.