Good Neighbor Authority project at Skidale gets green light

Logging activity is expected to begin in the Skidale area this month under the auspices of a Good Neighbor Authority agreement.

Gov. Greg Gianforte announced the timber sale on Feb. 1, calling it a step in the right direction for federal land management. Good Neighbor Authority allows states, counties and tribes to work with federal agencies to launch restoration projects on national forest lands.

“I’m committed to increasing our use of the Good Neighbor Authority so we can have healthier forests, prevent catastrophic wildfires, improve wildlife habitat, increase recreational opportunities and bring back good-paying Montana timber jobs,” Gianforte said in a statement.

The Good Neighbor Authority timber sale at Skidale emerged from negotiations between the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Kootenai National Forest, officials said. The scope of the work was analyzed by Forest Service under the Skidale Wildfire Resiliency Project and signed off on in 2019.

Libby-based Kneller Logging Inc. won the state contract at $45.71 per ton. Trails in the area will be closed while work is ongoing.

County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1) called it a “success story.”

“While small in acreage [Skidale] has been one of our most critical areas in our community wildfire protection plan,” he said in a statement.

The operation is aimed at reducing hazardous fuels, thus lessening the chance of a high-intensity wildfire, and increasing the forest’s resilience against insects and disease, officials said. They credited years of cooperation between Libby, the Lincoln County FireSafe Council, Kootenai National Forest and DNRC for getting the project to the finish line.

“The Skidale project is a great example of how agencies working together can get more work done,” said Libby District Ranger Nathan Gassmann in a statement.