Beetle kills provide challenge for forest managers

Ellen Simpson

Montana Wood Products Association

Several stories have appeared in daily newspapers in the past couple of weeks regarding the no brainer issue of whether there is a need to log dead and dying beetle-killed trees in and around communities. Thousands of acres of Montana forests continue to be consumed by beetles of all persuasions and land managers are struggling to catch up.

The old adage of "an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure" certainly comes into play with forestry. Areas around Helena, and many other communities, should have been logged several years ago before the march of the beetles took over. Many proposed projects were halted by land managers trying to appease a small number of individuals and now the majority of us will pay the price - literally.

There are always a couple sides to every story and we in the timber community try to look at all aspects of active forest management including the benefit to the resource and humans. Yes, there should be a profit made by logging trees and manufacturing products providing both well-paying jobs and healthy landscapes. The novel concept of capitalism does mean that private individuals own and operate businesses that employ folks who like to work in their chosen professions, one of which is logging.

When the economy is faltering as is true now, the last thing it seems anyone should want is to intentionally put people out of work. The reverse should be the case and more jobs and opportunities should appear in an effort to sustain our citizens. The idea that a local renewable resource - trees - should not be used by local citizens for consumption is ludicrous. I am certain it would be safe to say that each one of those individuals trying to stop logging is a daily consumer of paper and wood in the form of housing, furniture, and other goods. So, if those products are not produced locally but are still consumed, where are the trees cut and the products made?

This also raises the question of whether logging and using the wood fiber is a problem or a solution. Experts in fire and fuels management contend removal of overloads of fuel is necessary to minimize the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and risks to our citizens thus proving to being a solution. One needs only to watch the nightly news to see that California has once again turned into an inferno with hundreds of homes destroyed and people's lives forever changed. These are not scenes we in the timber community want to watch here in Montana again as we have witnessed in the past.

Mount Helena and the devastating beetle outbreak is a daily reminder that the fuel load of red and dead trees is a very real threat to the Queen City and her inhabitants. The condition of the trail system used by countless residents and visitors is under siege by beetles and unless aggressive action takes place over the next few months there will be little to no recoverable value from the trees. For the Helena taxpayers this would add insult to injury because at some point the trees will become a safety hazard for anyone near them and will need to be removed at taxpayer expense.

Unfortunately, similar situations exist across Montana and will only increase without proactive movement by agencies and individuals with expertise in silviculture and land management. A statement in one of the newspaper articles said "proponents of such projects… tend to either have a background in silviculture or be informed by people who do." Well hello!! When one needs expertise in any field, an expert in the field is chosen to do the work. When a mechanic is needed to fix a vehicle, I know of no one who goes to the doctor. If a forestry project needs to occur, it only makes sense to talk to someone with a background in silviculture.

The Montana timber community consists of professionals who have the expertise and desire to do the right thing for the land, resource, and for their neighbors. There is a serious need to have those capable forestry professionals dealing with what is rapidly turning into a crisis management circumstance that will serve no one well. Positive action must prevail or all citizens will continue to suffer the consequences due to the lack of active forest management.