Goals and Objectives
Fiscal Years 2007-2008
Forestry Division
Mission: Ensure sustainability of Montana forests, rural lands, and communities through cooperative wildland fire protection, sound forest management practices, and by promoting a viable forest economy.
Fire and Aviation Management:
Prevent and suppress wildland fires. Respond to approximately 400 wildfires annually on over 5 million acres that are directly protected and over 45 million acres that are protected cooperatively by the state and the counties.
Progress: Total 2006 fires - 478. Total 2006 acres burned -473,687.
Prepare initial attack forces to enable them to control 95 percent of all direct protection fires at less than 10 acres.
Progress: 95% of all direct protection fires were held to less than 10 acres.
Screen and procure approximately $2,022,526 of federal excess property and develop and distribute it as fire suppression equipment and vehicles.
Progress: Number of trips: FY05 - 17
Vehicles (8) |
$ 115,765 |
Supplies and Materials (24) |
31,240 |
Aircraft & Parts (4) |
2,997,461 |
Total Dollar Value |
$ 3,144,466 |
Conduct annual wildland firefighting training for agency fire personnel and cooperators.
Progress: Number of training sessions completed: 75 Number of trainees: 1,045
Manage the fire assessment rolls by tracking over 97,204 records in the database with 57,434 unique owners on over 5 million acres and collecting over $2,488,900 from private landowners for fire protection services.
Progress: Assessment rolls updated and submitted to thirty-three (33) counties, August 2006.
Manage the statewide DNRC radio communications network.
Progress: Existing system operational and planned move to narrow band on schedule.
Staff and maintain mission-ready aircraft.
Progress: Six helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft mission-ready. A total of 1275.1 hours were flown by DNRC aircraft with almost 800,000 gallons of water delivered to fires during the 2005 fire season.
Award Volunteer and Rural Fire Assistance Grants.
Progress: $1,288,010 awarded to 56 counties.
Assist Montana communities, local governments and other organizations in applying for and implementing Wildland Urban Interface Grants for fuel reduction, homeowner action, and information and education.
Progress: Sixteen counties have ongoing National Fire Plan fuels mitigation grants, with two more planned this year. Almost $7 million has been allocated in Montana to these types of projects since their inception in 2001.
Assist Montana communities in developing and implementing Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
Progress: Participated in completing 14 Community Wildfire Protection Plans and certifying the first four “Firewise Communities” in Montana .
Develop new and replacement vehicles for the direct and county co-op. protection programs.
Progress: FY05 completed 23 engine and truck development projects.
Forestry Assistance Goals and Accomplishments:
Provide forest stewardship assistance to private forest landowners and communities.
Progress: Specific accomplishments listed in Stewardship, Forest Practices, Forest Health and Urban and Community Forestry programs respectively.
Provide information, education, products, and funding for sustainable resource management to landowners and organizations.
Progress: Two hundred and fifty-one professionals, loggers, and landowners were trained in pest identification and management, and 24 on-site assists were made to private landowners. Lake County was awarded $202,000 in grant money to support forest management activities on private lands that reduce the impact of western bark beetles. In addition, service foresters provided 402 person days of education to private forest landowners, schoolchildren, and the general public in FY 2006..
Make agreements to reduce the fire hazard posed by timber slash from all logging operations on private land in Montana and certify compliance with slash standards.
Progress: Opened 1,054 new hazard reduction agreements (HRAs) in FY 2006.
Enforce the state slash law in cases of non-compliance.
Progress: Took over 51 HRAs due to non-compliance in the FY 2006. Worked with one purchasers/mills for non-reporting or inconsistencies.
Provide Best Management Practices (BMP) and Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) information in response to all forest practices notifications, and provide on-site consultations for highest priority operations.
Progress: BMP information sent to 1,412 HRA applicants.
Conduct BMP/SMZ field visits or SMZ alternative practice on-site visits.
Progress: 95 BMP/SMZ on-site consultations and 17 SMZ alternative practice requests approved in FY 2006.
Implement corrective actions for all SMZ rule violations detected
Progress: In FY 2006, 4 SMZ Warnings have been issued for violations of the SMZ law. Three orders have been issued.
Implement the Forest Stewardship Program and the Forest Land Enhancement Cost Share Program (FLEP) in cooperation with other agencies and organizations, according to the Montana Stewardship Plan and steering committee decisions.
Progress: 76 projects totaling $220,602 have been completed to date . In FY06, 4 projects were completed representing $13,218 and 66 acres.
Provide technical assistance to private forest landowners upon request.
Progress: Landowners have received 773 assists during FY 2006. These include wildfire protection, timbers sale assists and other assists.
Continue Biomass Energy Program partnership with US Forest Service and Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Areas.
Progress:
• As of Winter 2006, University of Montana – Western in Dillon will be the first college campus in Montana to heat with biomass. The biomass boiler in the newly constructed Glacier High School in Kalispell will begin operating this winter. Additional facilities in Troy and Townsend public schools will be operating the first pellet systems installed under the program.
• The Biomass Boiler Market Assessment is complete and available on our website. This report assists the FFS and Beyond program in our efforts towards commercialization by exploring and identifying the potential and viability of the biomass boiler market in Montana .
Provide forestry services to the RC&D Areas as outlined in annual work plans.
Progress: DNRC Service Foresters provided forestry assistance to local Crud's in fuel reduction and cost share thinning project review, set up and administration. Assisted the RC&D in the ordering and distribution of MCH capsules for Douglas-fir bark beetle prevention. An MCH educational pamphlet was also developed. DNRC RC&D foresters assisted in fuel supply for Fuels For Schools projects in Kalispell, U of M Western, Phillipsburg and other participating facilities. These foresters also assist RC&Ds with educational programs, Fair Booths, homeowner meetings and providing general forestry assistance to landowners.
Increase awareness of the importance of Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) statewide through Arbor Day events, urban forestry excellence awards, and media releases and program updates.
Progress: Seventy-three grants were awarded in the amount of $40,000 for Tree Planting and Program Development, Arbor Day Celebrations, Tree City USA designation, and professional training grants for municipalities. Grants were matched by $80,000 locally. Nearly 100 communities celebrated Arbor Day in Montana . The State Arbor Day Celebration was held in the Tree City USA community of Whitefish, on April 29, 2006. DNRC Director Mary Sexton, State Forester Bob Harrington and Mayor Andrew Feury participated in the celebration which included landscaping at the Stumptown Ice Den, Whitefish's new community ice rink. The Cities of Shelby and Conrad were awarded with the 2005 Urban Forestry Excellence Award at the Montana League of Cities and Towns Annual Conference in Helena (Fall 2005). Both recipients received a $1000 grant to assist with an urban forestry project in their community. The program website includes technical, financial and educational information for municipalities, tree care professionals and the general public. The urban forestry newsletter is published electronically and a list serv is being developed for both professionals and the public.
Assist Montana communities in developing local urban and community forestry leadership, organizations, and resources to carry out successful urban forestry programs and projects.
Progress: There are 36 communities with the Tree City USA designation, which accounts for 418,664 citizens of Montana . These communities, which spent $2.2 million in 2005, continue to build and sustain urban forestry programs at the local level. The community of Colstrip was added to the list in FY2006.. In recognition of their achievement, Colstrip was awarded an additional $500 grant to apply to work on urban forestry activities in their community. Montana communities logged over 20,000 hours of volunteer service in support of urban forestry efforts locally.
Service all requests from Montana communities for urban forestry technical assistance.
Progress: 73 communities received technical assistance in FY 2006.
Develop a network of supporters and sustainable partnerships to meet urban and community forestry program objectives.
Progress: The Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association (MUCFA) and the UCF Program continue to review and implement their Five-Year Strategic Plan for 2004-2009. The second annual progress report was issued to MUCFA for review after the October 2006 meeting. The program continues its outstanding partnership with the Association of Montana Turf and Ornamental Professionals (AMTOP) by sponsoring the Arborist Training at AMTOP's annual conference. Additionally, the program is working to extend their reach by developing partnerships with the Montana Conservation Districts and MSU Extension Service.
Survey forest insects and diseases on state and private land, and print and distribute the Montana Insect and Disease Conditions report.
Progress: The annual Montana Insect and Disease Conditions report was completed and distributed to natural resource managers throughout the state. Approximately 30 million acres of private, state, and federal lands were aerially survey and mapped for forest insect and disease conditions. Maps and digital data files were distributed to unit offices in FY 2006.
Produce and sell approximately 900,000 seedlings for conservation plantings.
Progress: Produced 826,443 seedlings for sale in FY 2006 and sold 767,000 seedlings.
Produce 100,000 seedlings for reforestation of state-owned forest lands.
Progress: Seedling requests from the Trust Land Management Division were up this year. 115,480 seedlings were produced for state-owned lands in FY 2006. 114,400 seedlings are scheduled for delivery to the TLMD in FY 2007.
Set prices and manage costs so that the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery is self-supporting by the year 2001.
Progress: The Nursery remained self-funded in FY 2006. Income from seedling sales increased by 1.4 percent to $381,823. Expenditures increased to $387,027 in FY 2006 due to significant increases in personnel services and operating costs. Prior year surpluses in the Nursery SSR account were used to pay for the additional expenses.
