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Palisades Timber Sale Project

Palisades Area

Welcome to the Palisades Proposed Timber Sale Project Webpage! The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Trust Land Management Division (TLMD), Southern Land Office, is proposing a timber sale project on State trust lands near Red Lodge, Montana. Specifically, DNRC TLMD is proposing to harvest approximately 6.0 MMbf from 795 acres within Sections 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of Township 7 South, Range 19 East.

We recognize that this is an important area to our neighbors and many community members throughout Red Lodge and its surroundings. We want to provide you with every opportunity to ask us questions about the project, provide input, share your concerns, and stay updated on and involved in each step of the process. We will be updating this webpage throughout the development of the proposed timber sale.

ArrowTentative Project Timeline

To view a single title, please click the individual title, or to view the entire list, click Expand All | Contract All.

  • How can I be involved and stay informed?
    • Submit Comments During Project Scoping
      • We are currently in the beginning stages of project development. As such, we need your help in identifying potential issues associated with our proposed activities. We want to identify those issues early on to help us develop alternatives under which we can reasonably address concerns through proper project design. We are asking the public to contact us with initial issues and concerns by December 31st, 2011. Submit a comment.
    • Come on Field Trips or to Meetings During Alternative Development
      • Once we understand all the issues raised during the project scoping period, we will begin to develop a range of reasonable alternatives. During this time, we would like to take interested individuals to the proposed project area to talk about what those alternatives might look like on the ground, to discuss potential concerns individuals might have with the alternatives, and to talk more at length about the current stand conditions and why we see a need for treatment in the area. During this time, we would also be eager to host or attend meetings with individuals or organizations to talk more about this project. We will be setting up meetings on an as needed basis based on public feedback. If you are interested in attending field trips or meetings, please fill out the form on the How to get involved and stay informed page.
    • Submit Comments During Public Review of the Draft Environmental Assessment
      • Once we have developed a reasonable range of alternatives, the specialists on our ID Team will work to conduct analyses on the potential effects to various resources in the proposed project area. These resources include viewshed, recreation, wildlife, water, vegetation, air, transportation, and economics. Soon after we finish the analysis, we will distribute it to the public for a 30-day review period. During this time, we will be asking interested individuals to read and comment on our analyses to make sure that we have adequately addressed issues and concerns raised during scoping and that we have analyzed those issues in enough detail to understand the potential effects to the various resources listed above.
  • What are State trust lands?
    • Upon ratification of the Montana State Constitution in 1889, the U.S. Congress granted certain lands to the State of Montana for support of common schools and other public institutions. To this day, these lands are held in trust for the specific trust beneficiaries to which they were assigned and ultimately for the people of the State of Montana (1972 Montana Constitution Article X, Section 11). The Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) and the DNRC TLMD are required by law to manage these State trust lands to produce reasonable and legitimate return for the trust beneficiary institutions while considering environmental factors and protecting the future income-generating capacity of the land (1972 Montana Constitution, Article X, Section 11; Montana Code Annotated [MCA] 77-1-202).
  • The Land Board consists of Montana's top elected officials:
  • Why is DNRC proposing to harvest timber in the Palisades Project Area?
    • In addition to generating revenue for the trust beneficiaries, part of DNRC’s mission is to manage the State forest resource for its health and long term sustainability and to protect and enhance the future income-generating capacity of the trust land. Many of our lodgepole pine stands on forested state trust lands throughout Montana are facing mortality due to serious infestation of Mountain Pine Beetle.  We often find ourselves ‘chasing’ dead and dying trees in order to harvest them before they lose their value. While stands within the proposed Palisades Project Area are experiencing some signs of mortality due to Mountain Pine Beetle, the lodgepole pine stands have not been hit hard yet.  We see this as an opportunity to do pre-emptive management in order to capture the greatest value of the merchantable trees within the area while providing the appropriate level of mitigations to resources and addressing to the extent practicable, the issues raised by the public.
  • What activities would be associated with the project?
    • The proposed project would incorporate group selection, selection and clearcut harvest methods utilizing conventional/tractor harvest systems. All merchantable lodgepole pine would be harvested.
    • Access to the proposed harvest units would require the construction of up to approximately 8.0 miles of new, restricted access road.
    • Project activities would also address long-term road infrastructure needs for future management, water quality improvement and fish passage.
  • Where specifically would activities take place and when?
    • DNRC TLMD is conducting analysis for harvest activities in an area encompassing up to 1,140 acres within sections 3,5,6,7,8,9,10, and 11 of Township 7 South, Range 19 East. See Map of Project Area.
  • What is the difference between the project area and the area that will be harvested?
    • The project area is those sections in which DNRC plans to conduct forest management activities including road construction and reconstruction. The area DNRC proposes to harvest will be a subset of timber stands within the project area; thus, much smaller in size. While the project area is 5,425 acres in size, we anticipate the harvest area to be approximately 795 acres.
  • What is the State Forest Land Management Plan?
    • The State Forest Land Management Plan (SFLMP) is the plan under which DNRC manages forested state trust lands. DNRC developed the SFLMP in 1996 to provide field personnel with consistent policy and direction for the management of forested state trust lands. The SFLMP provides the philosophical basis, technical rationale, and direction for DNRC’s forest management program. The SFLMP is premised on the philosophy that the best way to produce long-term income for the trust is to manage intensively for healthy and biologically diverse forests. In the foreseeable future, timber management will continue to be the primary source of revenue and primary tool for achieving biodiversity objectives on forested state trust lands.
  • What are the Forest Management Rules?
    • The DNRC Forest Management Rules (ARM 36.11.401 through 456) are the specific legal resource management standards and measures under which DNRC implements the SFLMP and subsequently its forest management program. The Rules were adopted in March 2003 and provide the legal framework for DNRC project-level decisions and provide field personnel with consistent policy and direction for managing forested state trust lands. All forest management projects administered by DNRC on forested state trust lands must comply with the Forest Management Rules.
  • What is the annual sustainable yield?
    • The annual sustainable yield (ASY) refers to one of DNRC’s fundamental management tools for conducting activities on forested state trust land. The ASY is defined by statute as: “….the quantity of timber that can be harvested from forested state lands each year in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws, including but not limited to the laws pertaining to wildlife, recreation and maintenance of watersheds, and in compliance with water quality standards that protect fisheries and aquatic life and that are adopted under the provisions of Title 75, chapter 5, taking into account the ability of state forests to generate replacement tree growth” (77-5-221, MCA). DNRC is required by statute (77-5-221 – 223, MCA) to recalculate the ASY of forested state trust lands at least every 10 years. Recalculating this often helps DNRC account for updated inventory data and volume lost to large scale fires, insect and disease outbreaks, and other factors.
    • The ASY calculation determines the amount of timber that can be harvested annually on a sustainable basis from state trust lands. Important ecological commitments from the SFLMP and Rules related to biodiversity, forest health, threatened and endangered species, riparian buffers, old growth, and desired species mix and covertypes are incorporated into the ASY calculation. In 2004, the state-wide ASY was calculated to be 53.2 MMbf of timber.
  • Why is DNRC harvesting timber in a down market?
    • DNRC is harvesting timber to manage for desired future conditions, to address insect and disease problems, to meet the ASY, and to generate revenue for the trust beneficiaries as required by the law (Enabling Act of 1889 and 1972 Montana Constitution). While the current market conditions are not ideal, DNRC is still responsible for meeting these program requirements.
    • As outlined in statute, the agency is responsible for meeting the ASY and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Failure to meet our ASY would have both economic and long-term ecological impacts. The ecological impacts would include increased mortality due to insect and disease, increased fuel build-up and fire risk, undesirable shifts in species composition and age structures, and impacts to watersheds.
    • Providing a consistent wood supply from forested state trust lands also supports the local economy. This is especially true given the significant decline over the last 20 years in the management of federal lands in Montana. While forested state trust lands comprise only 3% of the forested landscape, they provide approximately 8 to 10% of the annual harvest in the State. If statewide harvest levels continue to decline on federal and private ownerships, harvests from state trust lands are likely to play a more significant role into the future. Many individuals (truckers, shop owners, etc.), companies, and local communities benefit from a consistent supply of raw materials from state trust lands.
  • What is the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA)?
    • The Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), passed in 1971, requires state agencies to consider the potential effects of state actions on the natural and social environment. It is intended to foster sound decisions by state agencies and to ensure the public’s right to participate in state agency actions. MEPA has two central requirements:
      • State agencies must make a deliberate effort to consider the effects of their actions on the natural and social environment prior to making a decision. The decisionmaker and the public should be well informed of the environmental impacts of the decision before the decision is made.
      • State agencies must ensure that the public is properly informed and offered opportunities to participate in the decision making process. In order to fully understand the potential issues associated with and effects resulting from state actions, agencies are directed to obtain the input of others. This is important because state government often makes decisions that can impact the environment or affect personal property rights or quality of life, and no one decisionmaker has all the answers.
  • What is the plan for the new road construction and existing roads after the project is completed?
    • All new and existing roads that would be constructed or used for this project would be closed to motorized public access both during and after project completion. No public motorized or recreational off road vehicle use would be allowed beyond what is currently available and allowed by Forest Service travel management plans and State Policy. Motorized access on all new roads would be restricted to DNRC administrative use only and barricades, gates, and fencing would be employed to further restrict illegal access. As the project planning team further refines the project, we may plan to reclaim some or all of the new and existing roads used for this project in order to eliminate the potential for trespass motorized use and/or to improve water quality.
  • Is a reciprocal access agreement with the U.S. Forest Service a part of this project?
    • No. A concern was raised regarding DNRC’s interest in entering into a reciprocal access agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. An access agreement of this type would provide access to State trust lands by way of Forest Service roads and lands to the west of the Palisades project area. In return, the State would grant access across roads and State trust lands to currently inaccessible Forest Service lands located south of the State trust lands. A common challenge we face with the isolated nature of State trust lands is acquiring permanent access across other owners to allow us to manage our lands. Reciprocal access agreements enable us to acquire permanent access across other ownerships in exchange for providing the other owner with an equal right on trust lands.  While entering into a reciprocal access agreement with the Forest Service would benefit the long-term management of State trust lands within this area, this agreement is not required to implement the proposed Palisades Timber Sale Project. While we are exploring the potential for securing a reciprocal access agreement with the Forest Service, we have no formal proposal as of yet. If and when a formal plan or proposal becomes more concrete, we would immediately notify you to solicit your input and concerns and begin a MEPA process specific to this project. 
  • What are the State’s long term plans and goals for this trust land property?
    • At this time, the State plans to maintain the current uses of the Trust land which are primarily grazing leases and timber management. The DNRC and Land Board have a fiduciary responsibility in managing these trust lands to produce revenue to the trust beneficiaries while also considering the future income-generating capacity of the land. There are currently no formal plans to sell or further develop the lands within the Palisades project area; however, that does not guarantee that the lands will never be sold, exchanged or developed at some point in the future. If we did receive a proposal to sell or exchange within or near this block of land, we would follow the appropriate statutory process and immediately notify you to solicit your input and begin a MEPA process specific to this project.  Any decisions to sell or trade the State lands in question would ultimately be made by the Land Board and would be required to undergo strict environmental and economic reviews. If there was a proposal to develop a commercial, residential or conservation use on these or any trust land, it would follow the process outlined in the Real Estate Management Bureau Programmatic Plan.
  • Is recreational trail building across State trust lands a part of this project?
    • No. The Beartooth Ranger District has expressed an interest in developing a recreational trail that spans a number of ownerships, including this State trust land.  Again, we have received no formal proposals. If we receive a formal proposal for recreational development, we will immediately notify you and begin a MEPA process specific to this project.
  • What are the steps of the MEPA process associated with the proposed Palisades Timber Sale Project?
    • We are in this stage: Scoping occurs at the initial stages of project development.  During this stage, DNRC contacts and solicits comments from the public concerning the issues they might have with the proposed project.  Scoping also takes the form of field work. During this time, the project planning team conducts initial field and data reviews to determine what potential issues the proposed activities might have on various resources.  Once the bulk of the issues have been identified by both the public and the planning team, alternatives can start to be developed.
    • Alternative Development.  MEPA requires State agencies to consider a reasonable range of alternatives including a no-action alternative.  During alternative development, the planning team begins to further refine project design based on field work and issues raised both internally and by the public.  The team works through these issues to determine if they need to develop more than one action alternative or if they can address to the extent practicable, identified issues and concerns with one action alternative.
    • Development of Draft Environmental Document.  During this stage, the planning team drafts environmental analyses analyzing the potential impacts to various resources resulting from the proposed project activities.
    • Public Review of Draft Environmental Document.  For this project, we will be distributing the draft environmental document for public review.  During this stage, DNRC distributes the draft document to the public for 30 days and requests feedback on the draft environmental analyses.  We carefully review all of the comments received and incorporate any necessary changes based on these comments.
    • Development of Final Environmental Document. The final environmental document will include any changes made by the planning team as well as formal responses to comments received during the public review of the draft document.
    • Decision Notice. Following the development of the Final EA, a designated decision maker will review the public comments, the Final EA, and any other information contained in the project file.  The decision maker will recommend a decision to the Land Board in the form of a Decision Notice. The Notice will identify the alternative selected by the decision maker and the rationale supporting that selection.
    • Distribution of the Decision Notice and Final Environmental Document. The planning team will distribute the Decision Notice and the final environmental document to the public.
    • Land Board Decision.  Shortly after the Decision Notice and the final environmental document are distributed to the public, the Forest Management Bureau Chief and Director will present the project to the Land Board for final approval.

For more MEPA information see Citizen’s Guide to Public Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking

Montana DNRC

Contact

  • Dept. of Natural Resources & Conservation
  • 1625 Eleventh Ave.
  • Helena, MT 59601
  • Phone: (406) 444-2074
  • Fax: (406) 444-2684
  • dnrc.mt.gov