Coalition at work on forest disputes

The Daily Inter Lake

The concept of diverse interests working to settle disputes over forest management isn't exactly new, but there is something fresh about a collaborative effort under way in Lincoln County.

The Lincoln County Coalition is an outfit aimed at tackling long-running management stalemates on the Kootenai National Forest.

And it's not all talk - the group is working to develop federal legislation that would turn the forest into an experimental management area with provisions for motorized recreation, wilderness protection and a sustainable, predictable timber supply to revive a devastated wood-products industry.

The group started meeting about two years ago in the aftermath of the Stimson plywood plant closure. Now it is on the verge of going to the public with its "working draft" of the legislation. The group recently launched a Web site (lincolncountycoalition.com) and an advertising campaign to explain its goals.

The coalition is made up of advocates for motorized access, snowmobile access, Main Street business and wood products, along with county commissioners and the Yaak Valley Forest Council.

"Jobs, forest health, access, wilderness" are the Web site themes.

It goes on to explain: "Northwestern Montana is the most productive forestland in the Rockies, yet mill after mill has shut down over the last decade. Those mills supported families and small businesses. Likewise, local conservationists, who would like to protect special areas, are frustrated, as no new wilderness areas have been created on the Kootenai since 1964. They, too, feel jerked around by decisions made far away."

Group members say the effort is driven largely by a frustration among multiple interests that fighting over forest management has failed to produce satisfaction for any interest group. And the most obviously impacted sector has been the timber industry, with only one mill left in the northern part of the county and a small mill in the Troy area.

"You tell me how we could have gotten a worse result than what we got, and that was losing all of this fighting," said Wayne Hirst, a group member and Libby tax accountant who used to count wood-products businesses as the majority of his clients. "We used to have over 200 loads [of timber] a day coming into Libby and now we have zero."

One of the most important provisions in the draft legislation, Hirst said, would address a predictable timber supply off the Kootenai Forest.

County Commissioner John Konzen agrees, saying that without that predictable timber supply, it's unlikely that there would be investment in rebuilding the county's lumber-milling infrastructure.

"Nobody's going to reinvest into Lincoln County unless they see that," said Konzen, who sits on the coalition's executive committee.

Rebuilding the wood-products infrastructure is not only important in terms of jobs, Konzen said, it also is important for basic management and fuels reduction work on one of the fastest-growing forests in the inland West.

The coalition approached Lincoln County commissioners recently for support. Commissioner Rita Windom expressed concern that there wasn't enough information about the draft legislation to offer a formal endorsement.

"The general concept, we're in support of," Konzen said.

Konzen said there have been misperceptions by the public that the legislation is being developed by a closed group. Staffers with Montana's congressional delegation have told the coalition that there must be broad public support, Konzen said.

There is nothing permanent about the working draft for the legislation, he said. Public input could lead to revisions.

Robyn King, a coalition member representing the Yaak Valley Forest Council, said the group is striving for a legislative package that will have "buy-in" from the public.

"I hope we can do that starting within the next few weeks," she said, referring to the release of the draft.

King said coalition representatives went to Washington, D.C., last year to get input on how to develop workable legislation.

"Some folks got a bit concerned that we had actually presented a piece of legislation, which is not true," she said.

King and Konzen both said they are impressed by the coalition's ability to work together, despite members having widely differing views.

"I'm proud to be part of a group of neighbors who have been willing to sit down and talk about our issues," King said. "It doesn't mean we agree on everything. We have some pretty lively debates."

Hirst said the draft legislation will reflect compromises that may not sit well with some residents.

"Some people are against everything," he said. "We just have to get it to where most people in Lincoln County think it's worth a try."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com