This new travel plan will provide addition site specific direction above that found in the Forest Plan, most 

 often this direction leads to open route densities below the levels identified in the Forest Plan. 



Lolo National Forest 



At this time, the Lolo LRMP is also in the process of being revised. Forest wide management direction in 

 the existing Lolo National Forest Plan (1986) provides for the recovery of threatened species. It specifically 

 regulates human access and use in and through occupied grizzly bear habitat and calls for tools, such as 

 prescribed burning, to be used to enhance food-producing areas and improve habitat. 



Essential grizzly bear habitat (MS 1) is further protected by Forest Strategy #24 which states that 

 vegetative management objectives (including timber harvest and prescribed burning) will be established 

 by the Forest wildlife biologist. Silviculture objectives and timber harvest timing must be compatible 

 with those vegetative objectives. In areas where grizzly bear use is suspected or known to occur on an 

 occasional basis (MS 2) activities must be scheduled so as not to conflict with bear activity. 



According to the Lolo National Forest Plan Five Year Review (1993), there were several issues that required 

 changes to the Forest Plan. Specific to the management of grizzly bear habitat, the forest had no ORD 

 standard for occupied grizzly bear habitat in its LRMP. The review notes that adjoining national forests 

 had already adopted the accepted ORD standard (1 mi/sq. mi) as a forest standard and suggested that 

 adopting such a standard would provide consistent management direction across administrative 

 boundaries, would be consistent with current research findings, and would comply with USFWS policy. 



While the 1986 LNF LRMP contained no requirement for management of security habitat (effective 

 grizzly bear habitat), in the early 1990s, the Forest adopted a requirement for management of 

 displacement habitat within the Bear Management Analysis Areas (BMAA's: subunits within a BMU that 

 are delineated for cumulative effects analysis). Beginning in 1999, direction for grizzly bear habitat 

 management was provided by an Interim Rule Set issued by the Cabinet-Yaak/Selkirk Subcommittee of 

 the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. 



More recently, the Lolo National Forest LRMP amendment {Motorized Access Management Amendment, 

 signed March, 2004) establishes habitat security and access management direction in the CYE; identified 

 monitoring parameters include Open Motorized Road Density (OMRD), Total Motorized Road Density 

 (TMRD) and Core Habitat. The 2004 Forest Plan Amendment also establishes standards for areas outside 

 the recovery zone that are occupied by bears. Standards outside the recovery zone are (i) no increases in 

 linear open road density above baseline conditions and (ii) no permanent increases in linear total road 

 densities above baseline conditions. Amended habitat security standards and direction is now provided 

 by the following (overpage): 



137 



