A federal court has cleared the way for a major forest-management project in western Montana that calls for thousands of acres of timber harvesting and other treatments aimed at reducing wildfire risks near communities.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana allowed the Forest Service’s Gold Butterfly Project on the Bitterroot National Forest to proceed. The project is located east of Corvallis in Ravalli County.
The plan authorizes nearly 5,300 acres of commercial timber harvest and about 2,100 acres of noncommercial treatments, along with prescribed burning and replanting. Nearly 60% of the planned treatments are within the wildland-urban interface, where homes and other development meet forested areas.
More than 90% of the work is within an area designated for treatment under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act.
The Forest Service says the multiyear project will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires threatening nearby communities while producing timber, supporting forestry jobs, improving water quality and restoring forest habitat.
The court ruled in March that the Forest Service had complied with the National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act and Healthy Forest Restoration Act. It identified limited issues involving the agency’s analysis of potential effects on grizzly bears and directed the Forest Service to provide additional explanation.
The agency submitted that explanation in April, and the court subsequently found that the Forest Service had adequately addressed the issue and had considered transient grizzly bears in the project area.
“Responsible forest management produces much-needed timber, makes housing more affordable, prevents wildfires, and saves lives,” said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division.
The ruling comes as the Trump administration pushes to increase timber production and accelerate forest-management work on federal lands. President Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 calling for an expansion of domestic timber production, including forest treatments intended to reduce wildfire risks.
The Montana ruling remains subject to appeal to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
