Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project proposal important for the future of Seeley Lake

By Megan Birzell

10/16/2008

For much of Seeley Lake's history, the timber industry and the recreation industry have co-existed. Today, the numerous changes affecting our valley make these two industries dependent on each other in order to enhance the local economy. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project provides a way to accomplish this.

The landscape in our valley is changing. A quick glance at an ownership map of the valley from 2005 compared with 2008 provides the best evidence of this. In 2005, Plum Creek owned about 90,000 acres in the valley. Now, thanks to the Horseshoe Hills acquisition in 2006 and the Montana Legacy Project this year, that number has been reduced by approximately 42,000 acres. The Jocko Lakes Fire of 2007 has also significantly affected our landscape. The fire burned approximately 37,000 acres, or 12%, of our valley. Finally, new homes are being built in the valley at a rate of 40 each year, and more tourists are flocking to our lakes and peaks each summer and to our snowmobile trails each winter.

In the midst of these changes, we are all concerned with maintaining our heritage of living and working in the forest. That heritage includes Pyramid Mountain Lumber Company, which is still the largest employer in town by far, and skilled loggers and truckers and their equipment. It is in the best interest of our community to keep the mill strong and to ensure its future sustainability especially in an economy of slumping lumber prices.

A number of people and organizations are working together right now to ensure that Pyramid remains strong. In an unexpected and unusual partnership, Pyramid Mountain Lumber, The Wilderness Society, the Montana Wilderness Association, Rolling Stone Ranch, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Blackfoot Challenge, Rich Ranch Outfitters, and the Clearwater Resource Council have come together to develop a legislative proposal that, if passed, will solidify the timber industry's future in our valley.

The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project, as the proposal is called, would provide $7.5 million for ten consecutive years of funding for stewardship contracts on the Seeley Lake Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. Part of this would be matched with private funds to carry out the contracts. With stewardship contracts, unlike traditional timber contracts, timber is traded for stewardship services, such as controlling invasive weeds, thinning out bug- and disease-infested trees to improve forest health, and thinning fuels in the Wildland Urban Interface to protect human life and property from wildfire. It represents a new model in public lands management based on forest restoration principles and a vision of prosperous communities and conservation of natural resources.     

Helping Keep Pyramid Strong
So how much would the Project benefit the mill? First, it would provide a predictable timber supply to the mill. According to Gordy Sanders, resource manager for Pyramid, "Having predictable volume that's close by is immensely important in a time of escalating gas prices, especially when you consider that the next closest mill is 90 miles away in Columbia Falls." Second, it would give them a significant edge over the competition. Their bids would be lower because they would have less fuel costs associated with the projects, and their proven record as "the stewardship company" would put them ahead of other contractors in the "best value" criteria the Forest Service must use to award stewardship contracts. Under the "best value" criteria, the Forest Service must consider things like experience and work quality, past performance, and local community benefits, such as employment or training of local workers, when choosing a contractor. Third, the language in the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project sets an initial target of removing four million board feet per year from the Seeley Lake Ranger District. According to Sanders, four million board feet would run Pyramid for about six weeks.

A second component of the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project would provide [$4.5 million matched by $3 million from Pyramid for a boiler and cogeneration plant at Pyramid. Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of heat and power using one primary fuel. In this case, wood and wood waste would be used to generate heat and electricity for the mill and possibly for parts of Seeley Lake. Over the long term, this would reduce Pyramid's operating costs while providing infrastructure for the local timber industry, jobs for local workers, and environmental benefits of making use of waste products.

Enhancing the Local Economy           
There are, of course, significant benefits of the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project that extend beyond the mill. Economically speaking, the Project would provide 45-51 annual full- and part-time jobs in the sawmill sector, logging, maintenance, construction, and restaurants; increase wages by $1.2 - $1.4 million per year; and increase small local business income by $325,000 - $388,000 annually, according to an economic analysis conducted by Joe Kerkvliet, Ph.D., for The Wilderness Society. Ecologically speaking, it would improve forest health, forage for big game and other wildlife, and water quality for fish. Recreationally speaking, the Project would add 87,000 acres to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Mission Mountains wilderness areas, which would ensure that our traditions of backcountry recreation, such as hunting and horsepacking, remain strong in the future.

Reducing the Wildfire Risk    
Further, it would reduce the wildfire risk in our community. Healthier, thinned forests will reduce the likelihood of catastrophic, unmanageable wildfire, and this in turn helps our economy by keeping more living trees available for the timber industry and by keeping our summer skies blue, not smoke-filled, thus improving the tourism industry.

Maintaining Our Rural Way of Life   
Finally, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project helps us maintain our rural way of life. The stewardship contracts bolster the local timber industry while improving the health of the forest that we hunt, fish, horsepack, and hike in. The cogeneration plant builds the infrastructure of the timber industry, helping to ensure its continued existence in our valley, while making use of waste products in an efficient manner. The additions to Wilderness ensure the continuation of our backcountry recreation traditions.

In sum, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project is a win-win proposal with many significant benefits for Seeley Lake. The Clearwater Resource Council will schedule public meetings in November to encourage open discussion of the project and expressions of support.