GARDINER, MONTANA — The U.S. Forest Service is using emergency authority to speed the approval of the Bear Palmer Forest Health Project in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The public comment period for the project closed on a Monday, with a decision expected in October and implementation scheduled to begin in May 2028.
The project would affect approximately 4,401 acres in the drainages surrounding Jardine, northeast of Gardiner, Montana, including about 2,126 acres just outside Yellowstone National Park. Activities include commercial logging, clearcutting, thinning, prescribed burning, and construction of nearly 17 miles of temporary roads. Of the commercial timber harvest area, 824 acres would be clearcut, 802 acres would undergo commercial thinning, and 500 acres would receive selective group tree harvesting.
The Forest Service states the goal of the project is to improve forest health and reduce risks from insect infestations, disease, and future wildfires. However, its preliminary analysis states that the project “may affect and will likely adversely affect” Canada lynx and designated critical habitat for the cats.
The Bear Creek Council opposes the project, arguing the Forest Service is using an emergency designation without clearly explaining what the emergency is. The group contends the project is too large and complex for an expedited review and should undergo a full environmental impact statement. Because the project is being approved under emergency authorities established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, there will be no administrative objection or appeal process after the decision is made.
Scott Brovsky, a Gardiner resident, vice president of the Bear Creek Council, and member of the local Jardine Logging Committee, said, “People are concerned about impacts to wildlife habitat, recreation, tourism, roadless areas and the precedent of large-scale logging adjacent to Yellowstone under emergency authorities.” He added that logging, truck traffic, dust, noise, and prescribed burning could hurt businesses that depend on Yellowstone visitors. Gardiner, Montana, serves as the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park and is still recovering from a 2020 downtown fire and a 2022 flood in Yellowstone.
Several regional conservation organizations have submitted objections to the project. The Bear Creek Council’s public comment letter raised concerns about impacts on Canada lynx, grizzly bears, whitebark pine habitat, bumblebees, and migratory birds. Conservation advocates say the project area serves as an important wildlife corridor in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and fear that extensive logging could fragment habitat and disrupt animal movement.