Flathead National Forest

Forest Overview
250,000 trees | Located in northwest Montana, adjacent to Glacier National Park

The 2.3 million acre Flathead National Forest is located in NW Montana, adjacent to Glacier National Park and the U.S. border with Canada. The Region is home to two of the most popular travel destinations of the Pacific Northwest, Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake. The state department of tourism calls this "Glacier Country". The 2007 Brush Creek Fire area is located approximately 20 miles west of Whitefish, Montana on the Tally Lake Ranger District.

Need for Trees

The forest experienced several large wildfires in 2003 and 2007 that resulted in 322,000 acres or 14% of the total forest being burned. Adequate tree regeneration is not establishing due to the lack of seed caused by the stand replacing nature of the fires. This particular project will plant 1150 acres within the Brush Creek Fire area. With the help of Enterprise and the US Forest Service, we can help replant 250,000 western larch, lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, and western white pine in an area in need of diversity and resiliency to future fire and insect disturbances.

Planting and Impact

The project is within the Flathead watershed which drains six million acres of scenic landscapes. Many rivers in this area drain into Flathead Lake which is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. The lake is one of the cleanest lakes of its size and type anywhere in the populated world. In the summer it is often easy to see through twenty feet of the water column. It is 28 miles long and up to 15 miles wide with a maximum depth of 370 feet. The Flathead National Forest administers the largest amount of public lands in the watershed and is critical to the water quality. The Flathead National Forest serves as the �kidneys� of the rivers and lakes and provides a buffer that filters out nutrients and pollutants.

About the Pledge