Planning
State Forest Land Management Plan
Forested State Trust Land is managed under the State Forest Land Management Plan. Developed in 1996, the plan provides the Department and field personnel with consistent policy and direction for the management of forested State Trust Land. The plan is premised on the philosophy that the best way to produce long-term income for trust beneficiaries is to manage intensively for healthy and biologically diverse forests.
State Forest Land Management Plan Monitoring Reports
First implemented in 2001, a report is generated every five years to examine the implementation, monitoring and effectiveness of the plan policies and guidelines. The findings of this report may influence future revisions to the plan when deemed necessary.
Annual Sustainable Yield
The Trust Land Management Division of the DNRC is required to determine the quantity of timber that can be harvested from forested State Trust Lands each year, known as the annual sustainable yield. The annual sustainable yield is reassessed at least every 10 years. The annual sustainable yield is also the amount of timber that the Division is directed to sell on an annual basis.
Sustainable Yield Calculation
The Department hires a third party to calculate a sustainable yield calculation, which accounts for the quantity of timber that can be harvested each year and assesses the ability of state forests to generate replacement tree growth. The sustainable yield is calculated using a forest management model that incorporates all applicable laws and environmental commitments. The last SYC was calculated in 2020.
Habitat Conservation Plan
Since completing a multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan in 2012, the Department has been implementing the commitments on 548,500 acres of forested State Trust Land covered under the plan. The Habitat Conservation Plan is designed to ensure the long-term conservation needs of five terrestrial and aquatic species when conducted forest management activities, contribute to the recovery of these species and reduce the likelihood of future species listings.
The species covered in the plan are:
- Grizzly Bear (threatened)
- Canada Lynx (threatened)
- Bull trout (threatened)
- Westslope Cutthroat trout
- Columbia Redband trout
Plan Monitoring
The Department conducts annual and fiver-year Reports on the implementation, monitoring and effectiveness of the Habitat Conservation Plan and presents updates from the reports to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
2024 Annual HCP Monitoring Report
Amendments and Updates
Through joint efforts between the Department and USFWS, an amendment to the Habitat Conservation Plan was issued in 2018 that incorporated the terms of a 2015 Settlement Agreement on the Stillwater State Forest and the addition of 81,416 acres of newly acquired forest lands. Additionally, in 2021, the conservation commitments of the plan were officially added into the Administrative Rules for Forest Management.
Real Estate Management Plan
The Real Estate Management Plan, adopted through a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Record of Decision in 2005, provided policy, direction, and guidance in the selection and management of real estate development on Montana’s trust lands. The Plan also established guidelines for DNRC reporting in adherence to the Plan. The FEIS Record of Decision as well as well as the required reports are linked on this page.
Real Estate Management Plan Record of Decision
Report on Implementation and Effectiveness of the Real Estate Management Plan
A 5-year report upon the implementation and effectiveness of the Plan, including a recommendation on the need for significant changes to the plan. This report is due every five years, beginning in July of 2010. This report may be conducted in conjunction with the Real Estate Management Accounting Report.
Real Estate Projects List
Current Project List
Administrative Rules
Resource Management Standards from the State Forest Land Management Plan were incorporated into Administrative Rules for Forest Management in 2003, and furthermore amended to include commitments from the Habitat Conservation Plan in 2021. The Administrative Rules are the guiding document for our forest managers. Once adopted, administrative rules are published in the Administrative Rules of Montana and have the force of law.