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HAMILTON- The Bitterroot National Forest is beginning to get rid of some beetle killed trees from popular campgrounds and areas on the Sula Ranger District.The work is scheduled to begin at the Martin Creek and Jennings campgrounds and East Fork Guard Station.

Forest officials say they will be closing the campgrounds for public safety during logging operations. The work is contracted to be completed this winter and done in time for the campgrounds to re-open in the spring.

The Bitterroot National Forest's Tod McKay says in a news release that they are harvesting the trees from "high-use campgrounds and recreation areas that have been killed or attacked by the Mountain Pine Beetle".

He adds that the removal of the dead trees is needed because they present hazards to the public, and if not removed, may result in the closure of campgrounds or other recreation areas. The work is being done by C & L Tree Management of Darby with approximately 400,000 Board feet of timber being salvaged for use in Montana sawmills.

Hazard trees are scheduled to be removed from Jennings Campground,Martin Creek Campground, the East Fork Guard Station, Rombo Campground, and the Sam Billings Campground

The Bitterroot National Forest has been seeing more dead trees from the MPB, an aggressive bark beetle that is present at epidemic levels over much of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region according to McKay.

Visit the Bitterroot National Forest website for more information.