Good Neighbors: BLM Montana/Dakotas and Montana DNRC implement Good Neighbor Agreement

Story and photo by Ken Reed, State Forester, Montana/Dakotas State Office

A new agreement between the BLM Montana/Dakotas and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will aid in improving fire resiliency, safety, and forest health on more BLM-managed lands, all while supporting local economies.

The BLM Forestry program looks at the Good Neighbor Authority as a tool to increase outputs which align with Secretarial Order 3372, Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of the Interior land through Active Management. The BLM and DNRC began discussing potential for Good Neighbor projects on BLM lands in November 2018. Their Good Neighbor Agreement proposal was approved by the BLM Washington Office in August 2019, and was awarded in September 2019.

The agreement will work toward retaining the current forest product industry which is needed to continue forest treatments into the future. The treatment outcomes should improve browse and habitat for wildlife species that use a more open forest stand structure. Additionally the agreement will strengthen the partnership between the BLM and Montana DNRC.

The agencies developed a potential list of projects, and selected the top two for implementation in 2020: the Garnet Range Road Hazard Tree Salvage and Fuels Reduction and the Fiddler Ridge Good Neighbor Forest Health and Fuels Reduction.

The Garnet Range Road Project in the Missoula Field Office looks to improve public and firefighter safety by strengthening the main road to the Garnet Ghost Town as a fuel break while allowing the current forestry staff to work on other high priority projects.

The Fiddler Ridge Project in the Billings Field Office is located 3.5 hours from the Lewistown forester that currently covers forestry duties in the Billings Field Office. This project will be more efficiently managed by the State forester, who works about one hour away from the project. This isolated BLM parcel would not likely support a stand-alone BLM timber sale due to the relatively small acreage proposed for treatment and the lack of public access. Partnering with and including proposed treatments on state and neighboring private lands make this a very attractive project for local forest product industry.

The BLM forestry program and DNRC are currently working on developing a list of Good Neighbor Agreement projects for implementation in 2021. Field staffs from both agencies are currently reviewing upcoming plans to see where Good Neighbor Agreements could improve efficiency for both agencies. Progress has been made but success will come when the agreement results in two to three additional projects completed annually.