This Record of Decision (ROD) documents my decision and rationale for approving the Helena- Lewis and Clark National Forest Land Management Plan (refened to as the202l Land Management Plan or the Plan). The decision is consistent with the Forest Service's 2012 National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule (refened to as the 2012 Planning Rule) and advances goals of the Department ofAgriculture, including facilitating rural prosperity and economic development and fostering productive and sustainable use of our National Forest System (NFS) lands. The Helena and Lewis and ClarkNational Forests were administratively combined in 2015. This Plan revises and replaces the two existing 1986 Helena and Lewis and Clark National Forest Land Management Plans (referred to as the 1986 Forest Plans) into one plan that covers the administratively combined National Forests. The Plan describes desired conditions, objectives, standards, guidelines, and land suitability for project and activity decision making and ideally will guide all resource management activities on the Forest for the next 10 to 15 years.

This final environmental impact statement contains the analysis of six alternatives developed for the programmatic management of approximately 2,846,606 acres administered by the Helena - Lewis and Clark National Forest. It documents the analysis of the preferred alternative, four action alternatives, and one no-action alternative. The Forest Service has identified alternative F as the preferred alternative. All alternatives retain direction in the 2018 Forest Plan Amendments to Incorporate Habitat Management Direction for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Population, which was analyzed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 3: Forest Plan Amendments to incorporate habitat management direction for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Population. That analysis is not repeated here but is summarized and referenced as needed.

The Helena - Lewis and Clark National Forest has developed this 2021 Land Management Plan, in accordance with the 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule (2012 Planning Rule) adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture