Court Halts Logging Project to Protect Endangered Grizzly Bears in Montana

On October 27, 2025, a federal judge ordered the shutdown of a 10,000-acre logging operation in northwest Montana, citing the project's detrimental impact on the region's struggling grizzly bear population. The ruling came after the environmental organization Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022, alleging that the agencies had violated several environmental laws in their approval of the Knotty Pine Project.

The judge, Dana L. Christensen, found that the federal agencies had failed to properly assess the project's effects on wildlife and habitat, particularly the risks it posed to the endangered grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak recovery zone. This zone is home to only around 50 of the bears, making it one of the most imperiled grizzly populations in the lower 48 states.

The Knotty Pine Project, a 10-year operation, involved extensive logging, prescribed burning, and road construction and reopening—all of which threatened to disrupt the grizzly bears' habitat and increase human-bear interactions, potentially leading to more bear deaths. The judge ruled that the agencies had not adequately considered the impact of illegal road use on the bears, a critical oversight.

With the project now on hold, the agencies must reassess the environmental consequences and comply with the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and National Forest Management Act before the operation can resume. This decision represents a significant victory for conservation efforts in the region, as it underscores the importance of protecting vulnerable wildlife populations and their habitats.