Two firms get timber

Johnson Brothers of Missoula and PaveCo of Kalispell recently were awarded contracts to salvage beetle-infested and hazard trees on Flathead National Forest.

Johnson Brothers will harvest approximately 73,000 tons or about 12.8 million board feet of timber from the Summit Mountain Pine Beetle Salvage Project on the Swan Lake District, according to a news release from Flathead National Forest.

The salvage sale is located on about 1,200 acres of national forest lands roughly 10 miles south of Condon.

The sale is designated for winter harvest to reduce impacts on wildlife, specifically grizzly bears.  

“A mountain pine beetle infestation was identified in 2008 and we believe it to be a significant forest health concern,” Swan Lake District Ranger Steve Brady said.

An environmental assessment, including public review, was completed earlier this year with a decision to recover merchantable timber from areas affected by the mountain pine beetle and provide wood products for the local economy.  

“We made this project a priority on the forest because there is a limited time frame in which the affected trees are economically valuable,” Brady said.

Through the harvest of the dead and dying trees, Brady anticipates the project will reduce long-term fuel build up, and it will help the local economy.  

PaveCo is removing hazard trees from the Tally Lake Campground on the Tally Lake District of the Flathead National Forest. About 33,000 board feet will be harvested, with the project expected to be completed by the end of January.