Local elected officials see new upsides in massive land sale

The massive land deal that saw hundreds of thousands of acres of timberland change hands earlier this year may prove advantageous for Lincoln County.

When Weyerhaeuser announced a deal to sell 630,000 acres in northwest Montana to a Georgia-based real estate company late last year for $145 million in cash, local officials were apoplectic. County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1) decried the sale at the time, which came as a surprise to local elected officials, describing it as jeopardizing the region’s economic future.

Officials initially worried the buyer, Southern Pines Plantations, would cut off access to the land. Restrictions, enacted either by the Georgia real estate company or its future customers, would end hopes of luring a new mill to the county while simultaneously imperiling plans for a future economy based on tourism and recreation.

It also threatened residents’ longstanding access to the timberland for hunting, fishing and hiking.

Several months after Weyerhaeuser and Southern Pines Plantations finalized the deal, Peck said the situation had changed dramatically. Much of the land sold in Lincoln County will be set-aside in a conservation easement. Acreage around Happys Inn will be opened up for sale to private owners, but that could spur economic activity, he said.

“There is a tipping point with conversation easements where you start dipping into your ability to have any commercial growth,” Peck said during an Aug. 12 meeting of county commissioners.

And unlike Weyerhaeuser, Southern Pines Plantations communicates with local officials, he said.

“They call on a fairly regular basis and provide updates, which is something Weyerhaeuser never did. They never spoke to us,” Peck said. “I’m not so sure this wasn’t a good thing.”

In his talks with representatives of Southern Pines Plantations, Peck said they made clear they planned to make a profit selling the newly acquired land. But he believes that likely will occur in Flathead County, where demand is higher.

“They don’t make any bones about it — they’re in the business to sell it,” Peck said. “But if there are things they could do to benefit the county, they would certainly be open to that. They’ve been real open and honest as far as I can tell, which is way more than I can say for Weyerhaeuser.

“At least you know where they stand.”

Southern Pines Plantations also has taken on efforts to manage the vast tract of land. It brought on American Forest Management to assist and hired away Weyerhaeusers’ foresters.

County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) joked that the Georgia-based company was quickly learning how expensive owning timberland could become.

State Representative Steve Gunderson, also in attendance, concurred with Peck’s assessment of Southern Pines Plantations communication efforts. Company officials respond to inquiries, which is a change of pace, Gunderson said. They also are more transparent, he said.

“There are some public lands out there that are going to grow timber, some that are going to grow basements,” Gunderson said. “They’re doing exactly what they’re going to do.”

Peck delivered his assessment of the county’s relationship with Southern Pines Plantations at the behest of Marv Sather, a Democrat who is running to unseat Gunderson in House District 1. Sather had asked about the possibility of Stimson Lumber Company expanding operations in Lincoln County.

Peck said his understanding was that Stimson had backed off any major land purchases in Montana. But the conservation easements sought by Southern Pines Plantations might open the door to future logging, Peck said.

“I think what these conservation easements do is open it up for somebody like Stimson,” Peck said.