Rediscovering home: Superior Ranger District

Ranchers carefully select their herds for the best genetics. Who knew that the Forest Service does much the same with trees. 

Abigail “Abby” Lane, Superior District Ranger, told me in an interview Friday geneticists at the nursery in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, identify trees of “superior quality.” They place nets under these super trees and knock the cones off the trees.   

To collect white bark pinecones, a “keystone species,” employees actually climb the trees.  The white bark pine is one of my favorite trees, growing tall and straight.  However, the tree is identified as a threatened species. Lane explained white bark pine is susceptible to the mountain pine beetle and tends to grow in tough conditions – rocky areas above 6,000 feet. 

The pine is a “keystone species” because of the protein in its seeds. Birds eat the seeds.  Squirrels squirrel away caches of the cones to eat later, and grizzly bears steal the caches. 

Planting seeds from the area gives the seedlings a better chance of survival. Last year, Lane recalled, the district planted about 200,000 seedlings.  

Lane noted the Superior Ranger District has all 12 conifer specifies, which makes it different than a lot of other forests. The predominate species is Douglas fir, not yellow pine as I had thought. The district has some of the best environment for forest growth in the Rocky Mountains, but it is hard to compete with the West Coast and South.  However, the trees in those wetter climates have wider circles, and the wood is not as strong. Circles in the trees indicate the growth each year. The tighter the circle, the stronger the wood. Wetter years bring wider circles. So trees in the South, for instance, go primarily for paper. 

Mineral County is an historic logging area, and the district has 13 active timber sales. It has 10 full-time timber positions and four seasonal (six-month) positions. That is more timber employees than the district has had in decades. Employees here also conduct the timber program for the Plains/Thompson Falls district. Through the “Good Neighbor” program, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation employees help the Forest Service prepare timber sales. The district currently has two such sales.   

Sales are primarily aimed at protecting forests from insects and diseases, such as root rot that can topple Douglas fir trees, and not necessarily for protection against fire. 

The Forest Service is hindered by the lack of a sawmill in the county, though there is the post/pole operation in St. Regis.  The lack of skyline logging equipment and experienced loggers also present a challenge.  My old position as a “hooker” is now hard to fill.  A hooker uses chokers (cable that wraps around the log and hooks together) or large ice tongs to grab onto the logs to hoist them up the mountainside.   

The district has a high volume of timber per acre – measured at approximately 2.5 truckloads.  The problem is the size of the timber. In my last couple of years in the woods, the old loggers told me how much harder it was to find timber large enough to be profitable. I saw it myself as well.  

Lane said the district has a “good mix” of employees recruited from the area as well as folks from elsewhere. The Forest Service always needs firefighters. One can make a career of it. 

Lane was relieved the district escaped the lightning storms that peppered other parts of the Lolo National Forest on Thursday.   

The district is currently under Stage II fire restrictions. Lane emphasized that means no fires period. Lane urged residents to be cautious, warning that under the right conditions, “you can start a fire just driving through tall grass.”   

The district also has a program to construct and maintain walking and motorized trails. Lane was proud of the new Murphy Trail in the Dry Creek area, describing it as a beautiful 3-mile loop along tall pine trees.  There are apps that show the forest trails, or you can buy a map at the district office for $14 that shows all trails, roads, campgrounds and other landmarks. 

Recreation.gov provides information about places to stay in the district and elsewhere. One can rent two lookouts, Thompson Peak near Superior and Up Up on Ward Creek. Folks can stay in one of two residences and the bunkhouse at the historic Savenac nursery (now operating as a visitor center) in Haugen. I spent two weeks in the bunkhouse the summer before my senior year as a counselor for junior high kids attending a Forest Service camp. I wasn’t asked for a review, but I can recommend the bunkhouse if it isn’t filled with human seedlings just reaching their teens.  

The Trout Creek campground is a “hidden treasure,” but is not too popular because it is off the highway and has no hookups for RVs. That compares to the popular Quartz Campground at the I-90 rest stop. 

The district also works with community groups, including the Mineral County Historical Society, to capture some of the mining and railroading history here. The district archeologist approves all historical signage.  

Lane has been with the Forest Service for 12 years. This is her first assignment as a district ranger, though she temporarily filled ranger positions at Plains/Thompson Falls and, in the Salmon Challis, National Forest in Idaho. She served about 10 years with the Region 1 Timber Strike Team that completes timber sales in the nine national forests and one grassland in the region. 

Having grown up primarily in timber, she said she was surprised by “how many ways people use the forest. Everyone has their opinions, (but) it truly is multiple use.” 

* Hey, while I am sure there are others, I have made two mistakes on names.  My friend’s name. was Charlie Meirle, not Mierle.  It was the River Street Festival, not River City Festival.  The triple digit temps made shade a premium at this year’s event. How about spraying mist along the bridge walkway?