MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock unveiled a new forestry stewardship partnership to address pressing needs in forest management across ownership boundaries. A new strategic, planning strategy Forests in Focus 2.0: A Cross-Boundary Collaborative Approach builds on the momentum of Bullock’s original Forests in Focus Initiative with the intent to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration and management across ownership boundaries. One of the key components is state leadership through launching a Good Neighbor Authority Program.
Bullock launched the Forests in Focus Initiative in 2014 after Congress passed the 2014 Farm Bill.
Over the past four years, the initiative has invested in 25 Forest Service projects that have produced 165 million board feet of timber, treated 300,000 acres, and generated 60 million dollars in state and federal taxes. On state and private lands, the initiative has treated 10,000 acres and produced 22 million board feet of timber. These activities have sustained over 3,000 jobs.
The 2014 Farm Bill established the Good Neighbor Authority that has since been clarified. The GNA outlines objectives and responsibilities that enables and directs state and local government to engage in projects with the Forest Service to facilitate cross boundary management.
As of June 2018, the Forest Service has signed 163 GNA agreements on 59 national forests in 25 states to complete a variety of restoration activities. The 2018 omnibus bill further expanded the GNA and other authorities, enabling us to do more work across boundaries.
“The work we have accomplished with the state of Montana through the Forests in Focus initiative and good neighbor authority is a wonderful example of how we continue to enhance opportunities to work together for the benefit of the resources, communities and Montanans,” said US Forest Service Regional Forester Leanne Marten in a press release. “This cross-boundary, collaborative approach will further our ability set priorities and continue with our shared stewardship of broad landscapes.”
Since 2014, DNRC State Forester Sonya Germann said the state has seen a lot of good projects implemented in isolation on land owned by different agencies. The patchwork management is not as effective as landscape-level management nor does it have the greatest impact for wildfire risk issues.
“We need to be working together more, across boundaries, across ownership in coordinating out management actions and doing a lot more of it,” said Germann. “We are getting a very clear directive from the governor’s office that he is wanting to see [DNRC] continue in that leadership role, continue to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise and to be the leaders representing forestry and fire protection issues on behalf of Montana. Forests in Focus 2.0 is the state’s communication back to the Forest Service saying we’ve been ready to partner and we really appreciate our strong partnership that we’ve had in fire. We are going to be better, deeper partners when it comes to actual fuels management and active vegetation management.”
Germann said the while not the only new tool identified through Forests in Focus 2.0, the GNA Program will be the major tool to facilitate the coordinated approach with the Forest Service. With 60 percent of the forest in Montana owned by the federal government, this can benefit timber production, recreation, wildlife management and wildfire mitigation.
Under the Forests in Focus 2.0, Germann said the state wants to support good forest management from initiation to implementation. They are engaging in the scoping process and will follow the project all the way through court if litigated.
Germann explained since the state acts as the agent for the Forest Service for restoration work, all the work still complies with all the federal laws, rules and policy including NEPA. However, the state uses their contract methods, which are more nimble than federal contracts and in theory will speed up the work. Also, since the state purchases the timber from the Forest Service, the income from timber sales is kept local and will be turned around to do more restoration work.
Industry, conservation, and business partners have committed $600,000 in investments for the next three years to help launch supporting efforts under the GNA. With the contributions, the state is purchasing vehicles, cruising supplies, safety equipment and hiring foresters.
“We don’t want to trickle in with this Good Neighbor Authority. It is absolutely critical,” said Germann. “The state of forests in the state of Montana are in such need that we need to do big things right now. We are so thankful and indebted to our partners in giving these contributions. They are helping us establish Good Neighbor Authority.”
“I kind of see Forests in Focus 2.0 as an investment in the future of the Forest Service as they are pursuing forest product modernization which is a new effort to streamline implementation and Environmental Analysis and Decision Making,” said Pyramid Mountain Lumber’s Resource Manager Gordy Sanders. “GNA just becomes a component of how you can get more work done. It really is about working together, bringing different folks and different interests together.”
Pyramid Mountain Lumber faces the challenge of log supply. Sanders said since they don’t own any of their own land, nothing is certain other than the state trust land volume. Timber sales on Forest Service land are highly variable and unpredictable.
“The higher the level of activity, the more opportunity that we can capitalize on. I think we’ve worked very hard to be very good at that,” said Sanders. “The future of public lands, particular federal lands, is collaboration.”
Along with launching the GNA Program, Forest in Focus 2.0 includes several other key focus areas:
• Convening key stakeholders to help revise the State Forest Action Plan to reassess statewide forest conditions, identify priority areas for treatment and accomplish landscape-scale forest restoration in targeted areas over a defined period of time.
• Investing in innovative targeted marketing strategies to increase stewardship activities on non-industrial private forest lands.
• Expanding investment in local government capacity to make communities more resilient to wildfire, realize the goals and objectives of Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and engage forest land managers in relevant planning and project efforts.
• Better serving Indian Country by engaging with all 12 Montana tribes to identify programs of work that address forest health and wildfire risk issues in and around tribal communities.
• Investing in an industry liaison position to better align DNRC’s capabilities to overcome challenges with forest industry stability, growth and retention.
• Investing annually in watershed and collaborative groups in recognition of their leadership in resolving intractable land management policy and projects.
• Establish a Forest Advisory Council to the Governor’s Office. This has not been in existence since the early 1980s.
“Montana is uniquely positioned to continue to lead on addressing forest and rangeland management needs by expanding upon our proven strategies for results,” said Governor Bullock in a press release. “This new partnership will emphasize better planning, scaling partnerships down to the local level, and targeting our investments on state, federal, tribal and private lands that bring capacity where we most need it, benefiting Montana’s forested communities across the state.”
Germann said Bullock established Forests in Focus 2.0 to transcend his administration.
The state is working on developing a three to five year program of work with all seven national forests in Montana.
“What is great about the cooperative relationship and strong partnership we have with the Forest Service is we are both operating from the same understanding. That is really the essence of shared stewardship,” said Germann. “The communities should expect to see GNA timber sales and restoration projects in the near future in and around the community. I think Montanans are going to see really good things coming out of the agencies.”
To read the full Forests in Focus 2.0: A Cross-Boundary Collaborative Approach at http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/forestry-assistance/forest-in-focus/FIF2.0_Plan_FINAL_Website.pdf
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