Castaneda

I. Facts and Prior Proceedings

The KNF covers over 2.2 million acres in northwest Mon- tana. The Forest Service adopted the Kootenai National Forest Plan (“Forest Plan”) pursuant to NFMA in 1987. It is intended to guide “all natural resource management activities and establishes management standards” for the forest. The Forest Plan establishes 23 Management Areas (“MA”) within the KNF, including one related to Old Growth Timber (“MA 13”).

To implement the Forest Plan, the Forest Service adopts plans and projects for specific areas of the KNF. Over the course of 2004 and 2005, the Forest Service adopted the nine site-specific projects that are challenged here: the Bristow Area Restoration Project, Fortine Project, West Troy Project, Pipestone Timber Sale and Restoration Project, Lower Big Creek Project, South McSwede Timber Sale and Restoration Project, Alder Creek Project, Cow Creek Project, and McSut- ten Project. For each project, the Forest Service conducted an extensive environmental analysis, including a draft and final environmental impact statement (“DEIS” and “FEIS”) or an environmental assessment.

WildWest filed this action challenging the nine projects on numerous…