State of timber-Forests’ future full of changes, challenges
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian
Editor’s note: Today, the Missoulian concludes a four-part look at the past, present and future of timber cutting in Montana.
HAMILTON - Tom Robak knew he’d struck a public chord that day he opened up his post office box.
A week hadn’t yet passed since Robak and others had hosted a meeting in Hamilton earlier this month that drew close to 650 people on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The crowd had come to learn about the new group - Big Sky Coalition: Environmentalists with Common Sense - that planned to challenge forest management policies it believed were causing catastrophic wildfires.
When Robak turned the key, he was shocked to see his box stuffed full of letters supporting the coalition. The envelopes contained almost $3,500 in donations.
“We had no idea when we started if this was something that people would be interested in,” Robak said. “Now we know there are people out there who want to see something different happening on forestlands.”
All around the state, people from all walks of life are looking for answers to the complicated question of just what should happen on the millions of acres of national forests in Montana.
Some call for more logging to thin the forests. Others want a hands-off approach, allowing nature to take its course. Some say timber cutting should pay for restoration efforts to rebuild streams, control noxious weeds and improve wildlife habitat. Others say that amounts to ecological extortion… [more]