Montana, Forest Service, sign forest management agreement
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Shultz on Monday formalized a shared forest management agreement the governor said was the first of its kind between the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Calling it a “a model for collaborative landscape scale partnerships,” Schultz said the agreement establishes a new framework to “dramatically increase the pace and scale” of forest restoration, wildlife risk reduction and sustainable timber production across Montana’s national forests and adjacent land.
“Our forests are truly key to our Montana way of life, but this key part of our way of life is at risk. Over 60% of forested acres in our state are classified as being at high or very high risk of wildfire and insect infestations or both,” Gianforte said in remarks with Schultz near Helena that were posted online. “These risks threaten the health of our forests. They threaten our rural communities and our water supplies. It’s important that we work collaboratively to address these risks and make our forests healthy again.”
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