Stoltze conserves another 1,000 acres of prime land

In a deal with the Trust for Public Lands and the Flathead Land Trust, F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber recently put

more than 1,000 acres of land near Olney into a conservation easement.

The land will remain a privately held working forest and protected from future development through a conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust.

The Trust for Public Land was responsible for securing and negotiating the terms of the conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust which will limit commercial, industrial, or residential development on the property while securing permanently public recreation access. Conservation Easements like this one protect wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities while also allowing for sustainable forestry, which is vital to the region’s economy, the entities said in a release.

The property was first donated to The Trust for Public Land in 2017 by Cindy and Alan Horn and later purchased by Stoltze.

Stoltze has been a leader in local land conservation efforts over the past few years, placing easements on about 11,000 acres total, which is about 30% of Stoltze’s land portfolio.

Stoltze-owned lands near Trumbull Creek in Columbia Falls and Haskill Basin in Whitefish are also under ease- ments.

“Putting this property under conservation easement and long-term sustainable forest management is a great example of how healthy forests support healthy communities, both the two- and four-legged kind” said Paul McKenzie, Lands and Resource manager for Stoltze. This is the third project Stoltze has worked with The Trust For Public Land on and the first for working with Flathead Land Trust.