Stimulus money on the way for forest work

A wave of federal stimulus money will hit the ground in national forests soon, and it will be aimed at boosting private sector employment, Regional Forester Tom Tidwell said Monday in Kalispell.

In a meeting with the Inter Lake's editorial board, Tidwell also discussed the importance of maintaining a Montana timber industry and the potential for wilderness designations in the region.

Tidwell spoke broadly about the U.S. Forest Service receiving roughly $1.5 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In March, the agency announced plans for disbursing about 10 percent of the money, including about $9.5 million for national forest projects in Montana.

Late last week, plans for spending an additional $48 million in Montana were announced. Details on what projects and which national forests qualified for the latest round of funding were not available, mainly because the Forest Service's national Internet network has been disabled for several days.

But Tidwell said there will be an emphasis on maintenance backlogs and infrastructure improvements and hazardous fuels reduction work, with a high priority for economically distressed counties.

"This year and next year will probably be years that we accomplish the most work on national forest lands in a long time," Tidwell said.

Staffing in Forest Service offices has been shrinking in recent years, largely due to retirement attrition, and Tidwell said he expects the same staffing levels after stimulus funding is put to work.

"This work is going to be done with the private sector," Tidwell said, noting that the regional office will share its resources and seeking outside help to expedite the contracting process because ranger districts have limited contracting capacity.

"We feel there is an urgency to get this out there," he said of the funding, noting that many forest products contractors are in difficult positions, not knowing whether to keep paying on equipment or to keep employees on the payroll.

Tidwell and Flathead National Forest Supervisor Cathy Barbouletos urge contractors to be prepared if they are interested in a variety of projects, including roads, trails, campgrounds, building maintenance, watershed restoration and fuel reduction work.

For starters, contractors must be registered with the federal Central Contractor Registration program (available on the Internet at: http://www.ccr.gov) and the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce can provide assistance in future contracting opportunities.

Tidwell stressed that there will be ample opportunities, considering that more than 2,700 projects considered 'shovel-ready" were submitted by the Northern Region.

"There is a very high level of oversight with this funding and I think that is a good thing," said Tidwell, noting that the Forest Service will track economic benefits as well as the results of the work that is done.

He said that Lincoln County and other counties with high unemployment rates would have a priority. The Kootenai National Forest was included in the initial $9.5 million disbursed in March, and the Flathead Forest is expected to receive funding as well.

Flathead, Lincoln and Sanders counties have the highest unemployment rates in Montana.

Tidwell acknowledged that the recent closure of the last large sawmill in Lincoln County - the Plum Creek Timber Co. Ksanka mill south of Eureka - is just the latest blow to a forest products industry that has been long been struggling.

The Forest Service, he said, is dependent on having an industry to carry out basic land management responsibilities. Because of slumping lumber markets, Tidwell said he is worried about the ability of mills and logging contractors to persevere.

"If we lose the industry during this period, I think it will be really hard to bring it back," Tidwell said.

But there will be opportunities in the months ahead. The region's timber program is expected to sell 310 million board feet this years, Tidwell said, "which is the highest we've been able to do in the last few years."

Regarding Montana wilderness designations, Tidwell said he would consider it "helpful" to the Forest Service if Congress took some type of action to provide planning clarity to the agency.

The Forest Service has long been required to identify areas with "wilderness characteristics' and it has been in charge of protecting those characteristics. The result has been wilderness study areas that much of the public considers to be "tied up" as de facto wilderness.

Wilderness designations would protect some areas, Tidwell said, but it could also allow for expanded management opportunities in other areas.

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