Lolo Plan Revision Update: Species of Conservation Concern

A letter from the Revision Team Leader with the USDA Forest Service

What better way to close out October than with some fresh Lolo Plan Revision news! I’m reaching out to announce that the Species of Conservation Concern list (SCC) to be used for plan development for the Lolo revision has been determined by the Regional Forester and is now posted, along with supporting materials, on the Northern Region SCC Website.

The Potential SCC (PSCC) list and supporting rationale documents were released with the Draft Assessment for a 30-day comment period in June and July 2023. Based on comments and collaborative discussions with the public, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT), and MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the revision team developed 48 additional species assessments of which 23 were further evaluated. You can find all the supporting documentation along with an Executive Summary on the website above. Of the additional species studied, Mountain Goat, Lackschewitz’ Fleabane, and Mission Mountain Kittentails have been added to the SCC list. We are grateful for all the input and discussion around this important work.

The Regional Forester’s Letter, also found on the website above, provides the SCC plant and animal species that will guide development of the Proposed Action for the Lolo National Forest. The SCC is a living document and a living process. Policy and conditions that affect species change over time, and the Forest Service is postured to be adaptive. The Forest Service will incorporate new information and policy to the SCC list as it becomes available. The public can provide input and comments about the SCC List throughout the revision process and beyond. The Forest Service is committed to collaborative partnership with Tribes whose aboriginal territory is found on the Lolo National Forest. Discussions about how to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, culturally important species, and tribal perspectives is ongoing.

The table below lists the remaining engagement in November. As always, you can find engagement information posted on the Web Hub. You can expect to hear several more updates before the New Year!