logging

Amid ongoing federal efforts to revitalize the timber industry, an annual intertribal timber symposium took place in Montana last week.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling federal public land agencies to open more lands for timber harvest. Montana’s timber industry has been steadily declining for decades. The handful of mills that remain say increasing the number of logs could help. But supply is only one of the challenges facing the often volatile industry.

The closure of two lumber mills this year in Missoula County had a wide-ranging impact on the Montana economy, with an estimated 20% drop in Montana’s timber harvest.

Missoula County’s last traditional lumber mill is shutting down after 75 years in business. Pyramid Mountain Lumber’s owners said they can no longer weather the current economy.

Environmental advocates this week filed a lawsuit against a proposed logging project southwest of West Yellowstone.

The project near Olney is within the area burned by the East Fork Fire this summer. The project would allow for logging on 250 acres to salvage fire-killed trees that would otherwise decay. It would also include a half-mile of temporary road construction.

A federal judge has blocked what would have been a decade-long project logging nearly 4000 acres in northwest Montana.

The U.S. Forest Service approved a project to harvest timber from an area west of West Yellowstone last week. The plan includes the logging of over 12,000 acres as well as nearly 60 miles of temporary roads.

A federal judge halted a logging project in northwest Montana on Monday. The court says federal officials didn’t properly evaluate whether the project would harm threatened grizzly bears and Canada lynx.

On Tuesday, The Flathead National Forest proposed a nearly 5,000-acre timber sale near Hungry Horse.