MCGRAG sends letters to county commissioners

SUPERIOR – As part of efforts to spur the Forest Service as well as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to stop delaying projects, the Mineral County Resource Advisory Group presented two letters to the Mineral County Commissioners.

The first letter, to be sent to Regional Forester Faye Krueger, was in regards to the West Mullan Fire salvage project. There are still areas in the fire’s wake where usable wood can be found. While MCRAG would like to see this wood put to use, Krueger has said the Forest Service does not plan to salvage the timber.

“We do not accept this decision as final,” MCRAG’s letter said. “The area that was burned during the West Mullan Fire needs to be salvaged immediately under our Mineral County Resource Plan.”

The plan states burn areas one acre or more in size need to be harvested for usable products and replanted as needed. MCRAG felt not salvaging the wood violated the ordinance and should not be the final decision. The letter requested a copy of the report explaining why the resources will not be salvaged.

A previous letter from Krueger stated the Forest Service did not want to pull resources away from other projects out of fear it would disrupt planning in the area. MCRAG felt this was not a valid reason because of the mills in Mineral County. The group felt it was not right for the mills to travel 450 miles to purchase burnt timber when there was a source right on their doorstep.

The letter continued by stating the commissioners had made their needs clear. MCRAG asserted most of the Forest Service had blatantly ignored the issue, despite its affects on the county’s health, safety and infrastructure.

The letter ended by strongly recommending the Forest Service reconsider the decision on the salvage project.

While the letter was professional and courteous, tempers have begun to fray. Duane Simons, commissioner of the county’s west end, felt the group should not be too harsh in their communications with the Forest Service. He said an attack would cause the representatives to become defensive and brush off the issues.

Dennis Hildebrand, a MCRAG member, felt the group’s efforts were worth the work and frustration. He said “the squeaky wheel was getting greased” and federal representatives were learning more about the issue.

The commissioners agreed to sign the letter before forwarding copies to Governor Steve Bullock as well as the state and national representatives.

The commissioners also signed a letter to Governor Bullock requesting Mineral County be designated as an area with declining forest health under the new Farm Bill. It was noted the pine beetle infestations, tree mortality along with higher risks of fire led to a risk to public health and safety.

The hope of MCRAG and the commissioners was to use the resources provided by the Farm Bill to improve the situation.

“These new tools, provided by the Farm Bill, are one tool to help ensure public health, safety and welfare,” MCRAG said in the letter.