Public access to private timber land

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is again asking for public comments on the second phase of a conservation easement project with the Green Diamond Company, a timber company.  

The proposed project involves keeping 52,930 acres of traditional public recreation access open for free recreation uses for wide variety of public uses such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, berry picking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling and many other forms of outdoor recreation. These types of current public recreation uses occur on these private forest lands due to the generosity of the landowner. The proposed conservation easement would make these public uses permanent.    

For many of us that recreate west of Kalispell, this proposal essentially maintains the traditional privileged public recreation uses of corporate timber lands that we have enjoyed since the settlement of Montana. Currently, in other states, most privately owned corporate timber lands are available for public use, but only after the public buys a recreation use permit. These types of public recreation use permits are not the traditional public use recreation permits charged by public agencies of $5 or $10 per year, but can run up to hundreds of dollars each year, for a right to camp, hike or fish during the summer and hunt in the fall.