Forest hoping for stimulus funding
The U.S. Forest Service has announced it will receive about $1.15 billion in federal stimulus funding, with immediate plans to disburse about $9.5 million for projects in Montana.
That initial allocation does not include any projects on the Flathead National Forest, but forest officials expect that to change when the remaining 90 percent of overall funding is distributed.
"They've allocated only about 10 percent and they have the remaining 90 percent to allocate," said Denise Germann, the forest's public affairs officer. "We anticipate some of that money coming here to the Flathead National Forest."
Germann said it's unclear how much the forest will get, but a wide variety of 'shovel-ready" projects has been identified. There are road maintenance and improvement projects, deferred maintenance on offices, cabins and campgrounds, fuel-reduction work, fisheries habitat improvement and trails work.
The funding will not apply to the forest's normal work program, she said, but instead will pay for deferred maintenance projects that otherwise would not be carried out in the near future.
For the Forest Service, Germann added, viable projects for the funding must already be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Many projects, such as road improvements, can be fast-tracked without prolonged environmental reviews. Some recent fuel-reduction projects have been approved through specific exclusions to environmental reviews.
"For us, shovel-ready means NEPA-ready," Germann said.
One complication for the Forest Service in implementing stimulus funding is its limited contracting capacity. For that reason, the Forest Service and other federal agencies are making preparations to outsource contracting duties.
"The agency is getting outside help for contracting," Germann said.
The initial $9.5 million in Montana will go to watershed enhancement projects on the Bitterroot, Gallatin and Custer national forests; road improvement projects on the Gallatin, Custer and Kootenai national forests; and road and bridge construction work on the Gallatin Forest.
Based on a "project-to-dollar" formula, the Forest Service is projecting that the overall funding package of $1.15 billion will support 25,000 jobs across the country, mostly through private contractor employment.
"The Forest Service has a proud history of creating private sector jobs in rural areas of our nation," Northern Regional Forester Tom Tidwell said.
"Each of our economic recovery projects will employ people in work that is directly linked to improving the health of forests and grasslands within our community."
Like other federal agencies, the Forest Service is advertising its contract opportunities online at:
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com