County commissioners request details on forest management

The Mineral County Commissioners sent a letter to Regional Forester Faye Krueger on July 31, requesting her presence at an upcoming meeting.

According to the letter sent to Krueger, as well as state representatives, the commissioners are “concerned at the apparent suspension” of the forest management program in Mineral County – particularly due to the status of the Cedar Thom project.

“We just want to find out why it’s being held up,” Commissioner Laurie Johnston said. “The last thing we have heard about it was that it was being held up by the fisheries and we’d like them (USDA Forest Service representatives) to explain why.”

Analysis for the Cedar Thom project was completed in 2011 by the Superior Ranger District and is called a “large forest management and stewardship project” in the letter.

“This project involved an extensive public collaboration process of which the Lolo Forest Restoration Committee and many local residents of Mineral County participated in,” the letter reads. “The forest supervisor was expected to issue the final decision for this project in 2011. Suddenly, the Cedar Thom project was brought to a halt and work suspended on it. Since 2011, no projects have been completed and forest management in our area has been non-existent.”

The letter goes on to cite the fact that 85 percent of county land is covered in timber and 84 percent of that land is a part of the Lolo National Forest.

“The Lolo National Forest is experiencing a continued insect epidemic of mountain pine beetle that is systematically killing our lodgepole forest,” the letter reads. “This epidemic has been building for the last 10 years and has resulted in over several hundred thousand acres of standing dead trees.”

Historically, according to the letter, the Lolo National Forest “aggressively” pursued salvage and fuel reduction sales as well as a stewardship contract program to try to, “utilize this material and reduce the opportunity for catastrophic fires.” But those efforts came to a halt around the conclusion of the Cedar Thom project.

“All of these projects generated sawtimber, biomass trees and biomass projects for the timber industry,” the letter reads. “The timber industry is critical to the economic health of our community and is the largest employment sector for our residents. The local timber industry cannot survive without the Forest Service putting forest management projects in the market place.”

The commissioners concluded the letter by formally requesting Krueger respond with her availability to attend a meeting on August 31 at a time between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm.