Mont. Gov. Gianforte Announces Project Agreements for Active Forest Management Across Mont.
Governor
"This fire season has proven to all Montanans the importance of active forest management to reduce wildfire risk,"
Projects were chosen for funding based on their alignment with the goals and strategies of the recently completed Montana Forest Action Plan.
To help reduce wildfire risk across the state and improve forest health, the
With the project agreements now signed, the
"Just like fire, forest health problems don't stop at fence lines,"
The names of the selected projects, their general locations, and the amount of funding awarded are listed below:
Project Area: Bozeman
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The proposed work area of this project includes municipal watersheds and municipal drinking supply infrastructure. It is located entirely in the WUI. This project will reduce the potential severity of a wildfire to existing municipal development and infrastructure and will increase forest resilience and promote healthy ecosystem functions. Treatments will include mechanical and nonmechanical thinning, commercial harvest, and prescribed fire on more than 800 acres.
Chalk Buttes Forest Fuels Mitigation
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The goals of this project include reducing overstocked forest fuels, creating defendable spaces around infrastructure, and enhancing forest biodiversity and resilience. Treatments will involve reducing hazardous fuels; protecting homes, cabins, and communication towers; and creating jobs.
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project involves the design and construction of a temporary forestry road which will provide forest managers and landowners access to forested lands to conduct a BIA timber sale. The project area is owned by the
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project will occur on State-owned land, and it builds on the Buckhorn GNA project currently being implemented on adjacent
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project will occur in
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project looks to achieve forest restoration outcomes including the improvement of habitat conditions and connectivity, reduction of fuel loads, and increased resilience to wildfire. Treatments will include the removal of conifer expansion to restore aspen, riparian, sagebrush-steppe, and forested habitats through slashing, prescribed fire, mastication, creation of biochar, and commercial logging operations. Commercially harvested biomass will help kick-start a new sort yard in southwest
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The goals of this project are to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, expand local fire response capacity, and educate community members on the importance of building fire-adapted communities and landscapes. Treatments will include prescribed fire,
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description:
Project Area: Troy
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The Rabbit Tracks project, located entirely in the WUI, will improve forest resilience to fire, insects, and disease; maintain old growth characteristics; reduce fuels; improve water quality; provide forage and security for wildlife; and support the wood products industry. Restoration activities will include fuels treatments; pre-commercial and commercial timber harvest; prescribed burning; tree and native shrub, grass, and for planting; and weed treatments.
Project Area: Red Lodge
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The goals of this project include reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire, restoring forest health, enhancing public and private recreation activities, and producing merchantable timber for the forest products industry. Treatments will include hazardous fuels mitigation, commercial harvest, and forest restoration work, a prescribed fire, and a biochar demonstration project.
Sorrel Springs GNA
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The Sorrel Springs GNA project is located entirely within the WUI and is intended to reduce wildfire risk to adjacent homeowners and increase forest health and resiliency. Activities will include conducting contract NEPA analysis; project planning, design, and layout; and implementation of a commercial timber harvest.
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project is, located entirely within the WUI, will reduce the probability of high-severity wildfire in the area, improve forest health, create forestry employment opportunities, and educate the public on how to build wildfire-adapted communities. Activities will include the treatment of fuels across ownership boundaries and the education of WUI residents on how to prepare for wildfire and reduce risk.
Statewide Urban Reforestation
Project Area: Various municipally owned public lands across
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: The project will implement a program in the urban forests of 8-12 communities across
Project Area:
Amount Awarded:
Project Description: This project, located within the WUI, is intended to reduce wildfire risk, promote forest health and resiliency, and protect wildlife habitat. Treatments will include pre-commercial and commercial thinning and will produce traditional forest products as well as biochar, an innovative use for low value biomass.
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