Good Neighbor Authority gets work done in the woods

The Forest Service is highlighting the benefits of the Good Neighbor Authority and has even produced a short film on one recent project.

The Good Neighbor Authority enables the Forest Service and the state Department of Natural Resouces and Conservation to plan, coordinate, and implement forest management and restoration projects, increasing each agency’s capacity to complete important project work.

In short, the program allows for federal funding to be used to allow the state to administer projects on National Forest lands.

One recent project was the Jackknife Project near Olney, designed to reduce wildfire risk in that community.

But there are a host of projects on the Flathead either under contract or in the planning stages—44 in total, including projects in the North Fork of the Flathead, along the Hungry Horse Reservoir and west of here on the Tally Lake Ranger District.

The Jackknife collaborative effort is featured in a video produced by the U.S. Forest Service: https://youtu.be/44D_aQxbzY0

The Jackknife Project is located within the wildland urban interface (WUI), approximately one mile west of Olney and adjacent to Stillwater State Forest trust lands and private residential properties.

With the Jackknife Project, the agencies are reducing tree densities and accumulated combustible vegetation and improving the diversity and resilience of the forest. The Good Neighbor Authority helps get this work done, the Forest Service and the state note in the video.

The project spans over 1,000 acres along Good Creek Road, using shaded fuel breaks and a commercial timber sale to thin forest stands. These efforts remove material that could allow wildfire to reach treetops, fire behavior referred to as a crown fire, which allows wildfire to spread more rapidly.

The timber sale was purchased by Stoken Logging, a family-owned company from Eureka with three generations of commitment to the forests’ health and resilience. Stoken Logging is harvesting about 800 trees per acre, mostly lodgepole, leaving approximately 100-250 trees per acre, which decreases the likelihood of crown fire. After harvest, the residual trees will have access to more light, water, and nutrients, which increases forest health and creates more resilience to insects, disease, and wildfire, the Forest Service notes.

Stoken Logging is using a “cut-to-length” operation that allows for precise navigation and on-site processing. “Cut-to-length” reduces disturbance to the ground, reduces the material left onsite, and minimizes impact on residual trees. The company will also pile or masticate small trees and surface fuel to further reduce the quantity of material that is available to burn during a wildfire. If a fire occurs in the area, these actions reduce fire intensity and the likelihood a fire will negatively impact adjacent homes and infrastructure.

The project is estimated to produce 2.7 million board feet of lumber for local mills, as well as 7,000 tons of non-sawtimber small diameter material, contributing to the sustainable utilization of forest resources and Montana’s forest products industry. 

“We have millions of acres of National Forest in Montana that need management and are classified with a timber management objective,” said Brook Blakely, GNA program specialist located out of the Northwestern Land Office in Kalispell. “DNRC is able to lend a hand to the Forest Service and provide additional people, resources and financial opportunities through the GNA program to get more work done on the landscape.”

The Jackknife Project exemplifies successful forest management and cross-boundary collaboration, tying together approximately 30 miles of fuel breaks between state and federal lands. In addition to the forest health and fuel reduction benefits, the timber sale generated an estimated $270,000 in revenue which is reinvested into the GNA program to facilitate future projects, offset costs of noncommercial fuel reduction work, and is used for wildlife and aquatic habitat restoration.

For more information on Good Neighbor Authority, visit https://dnrc.mt.gov/Forestry/Forest-Management/good-neighbor-authority