LOLO — The two major wind events this past winter have impacted the landscape across the Lolo National Forest (LNF).
Thousands of trees are down throughout the 2.3 million acre forest which has groups working to mitigate the damage.
WATCH: MTN's Emily Brown caught up with volunteers and Forest Service partners working to clean up thousands of downed trees in the Lolo National Forest
"Normal activity for us as we enter any field season is to do hazard tree assessment," LNF Missoula District Ranger Crystal Stonesifer told MTN. "Our recreation professionals go out, and they make sure that there's no leaning hazards in places."
As the Forest Service begins its busiest season, they're focusing on removing debris from popular areas like campsites and trailheads.
"Along the Highway 12 corridor in particular, that's a place where the terrain aligns with those prevailing winds, and so we did see a lot of trees down," Stonesifer said.
Volunteers and Forest Service partners, like the Missoula Snowgoers Snowmobile Assocation, have been helping with clean-up.
"I think we're right around 2,000 cut and pushed off the road trees," Snowgoers secretary Sammi Schwartz shared.
This year will be a heavier lift than normal for the volunteer group that operates around Lolo Pass.
"We'll be out there all of spring, all of summer," Schwartz stated.
Wide scale damage has many outcomes, including trees down in rivers and creeks as well as crossing trails.
"We have had a really comprehensive approach to the forest-wide impacts, and that is looking at a damage assessment for all of the impacted areas." Stonesifer said.
Some wood in the water is actually beneficial.
"This influx of wood into the waterways across the forest is really healthy for those ecosystems," Stonesifer noted.
However, downed trees can present a challenge during fire season, both in terms of travel to the fires and the activity of the blazes themselves.
"It's a fuel whether it's standing or whether it's down. It just impacts how the fire behavior might be impacted by those fuels. That informs how folks can move across the landscape," Stonesifer said.
So, as people get out as the weather gets nicer, there are hazards in the forest, but also ways to help.
"Join your local club, you know, even in Seeley or in the Bitterroot, like everyone's kind of dealing with it. For a 12 hour day of just cutting trees all day and moving them off the trail, we had so much fun," Schwartz said.
To report damage, click here.
