‘Forest Action Plan’ hopes to make forests more resilient

The state recently released a new “Montana Forest Action Plan,” which sets roadmap for future forest management in the state.

Forest Action Plans originated with the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, which required states and territories
to develop an assessment of the conditions of the forests within their states every 10 years, regardless of ownership, and develop strategies to address issues that ensure alignment with the Forest Service, state and private forestry program’s national priorities, the plan notes.

The idea is to conserve forest landscapes of which about half over the past 10 years have been attacked by insect and disease.

The magnitude of climate change is expected to make things worse for forests, the document notes.

The plan touches on some familiar themes as of late: thin the forests, promote trees that are more fire resilient and protect wildlife and communities.

This plan is part of an initiative by Gov. Steve Bullock that was formulated a couple of years ago and has been developed by state forest officials and stakeholders.

It notes that about 8.5 million acres of forests are at high or very high risk for wildfire and in the past five years about 1.5 million acres have burned statewide and 2.74 million have burned in the past 10 years.

Acreage is also close to homes and towns, it notes.

About 6 million acres are within a half mile of the Wildland Urban Interface — the zone that is close to homes.

Insects are also having an impact on the trees.

About 1.67 million acres have been attacked by spruce budworm; 12 million acres by pine beetles from 2006-2015 and 7 million more acres are at high to moderate risk of even more outbreaks.

In addition, about 5 million acres are susceptible to other diseases, like Douglas Fir beetle.

About one-quarter of Montana’s land mass is covered by forests, the plan notes — about 23 million acres.

The plan calls for, among other things, a statewide inventory of forest conditions. It also calls for working more closely with private landowners on promoting forest health and with federal lands, using the Good Neighbor Authority to complete more timber management projects.

Locally, the Authority has been used on several projects in the Canyon and Hungry Horse Reservoir areas, where trees were thinned to promote the health of fire-resistant species, like larch and fir.

The Good Neighbor Authority is a federal program that allows states to partner with the Forest service to get forest management projects completed.

After fires, the plan calls for further management that encourages trees that are fire and climate change resistant.

“Encourage reforestation efforts after severe events to promote regeneration of suitable native species that may be more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” is just one of the recommendations.

It also calls for the use of more prescribed burns to manage forests.

In addition, the plan encourages everyday citizens to help.

In urban areas, for example, the plan says to “encourage the planting of three trees for every person in urban landscapes in Montana.”