Conservation Forest plan deserves consideration
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The Lake County Conservation District (LCCD) has been working on a very creative concept called a “Conservation Forest.” This concept would allow local management of 60,000 acres of the Flathead National Forest in the Swan Valley. Management practices would concentrate on producing growth, harvest and fuel reductions of timber on these 60,000 acres and would be managed by local foresters using the laws, rules and regulations of the state of Montana. LCCD had an economic feasibility study that has projected that the forest could produce $500,000 per year at no cost to County, State or Federal taxpayers. These dollars could be used to support LCCD’s legislative mandate to protect and conserve the soil, water and other natural resources in Lake County. Some of these projects would first be a proactive forest fuel reduction in the Swan Valley, and later restoration of White Bark stands, improving municipal and residential sewage treatment facilities, helping our agricultural community to improve their application of water and fertilizer, numerous erosion projects on dirt roads and stream restoration projects. All of these projects would help preserve our water quality in the Swan and Flathead drainages.
The forest would still remain under the ownership of the federal government and be accessible to the public. The federal endangered species act and federal water quality standards would still be enforced under a local management plan.
The idea of a Conservation Forest is poorly understood by many in the environmental community and as a result you have seen opposition letters in local papers. I believe most of their concerns have been met yet some environmentalists believe no sustainable management along with forest fires is the only way to maintain our forest. This non-management has resulted in millions of dollars wasted on fighting fires, loss of jobs due to a lack of local timber at our mills, a reduction in public use and access along with smoke filled summers.
I believe this new concept of local control will result in a more sustainable forest along with providing dollars to protect Swan and Flathead Lake for generations to come. Please support this idea so it can move forward to the State and Federal level. To learn more, go to swanforestinitiative. org. Email your letter of support along with your name and full address to swanstudy@gmail.com or regular mail to 64352 US Hwy. 93 Ronan, MT 59864.
