Sen. Max Baucus urges Montanans to speak out against sale of Forest Service lands

Without Forest Service land sales, there will be no program to reimburse counties and schools for declining timber revenue, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey insisted Tuesday.

In a nationwide conference call with reporters, Rey announced that the 30-day public comment period on the controversial land proposal is under way.

Because of comments received, he said the proposal has been revised to provide a "right of first refusal" to counties, states, municipalities and land trusts to purchase Forest Service tracts that serve a valuable public purpose.

Repeatedly questioned about widespread opposition to the proposal from lawmakers - including Montana's congressional delegation - Rey acknowledged that federal land sales are

"sensitive." But he stressed that support exists from county and school officials who depend on funding from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, and the only way to reauthorize the funding is through land sales.

"Without a funding source, the reauthorization of [the act] is an empty gesture," he said. "So I think there is still very strong support for reauthorizing the law … It is a bill that requires a funding source and that is more than a small detail."

The recently released 2007 federal budget proposes raising $800,000 for the program by selling Forest Service tracts that are "considered isolated or inefficient to manage" because of their locations or other characteristics.

The starting list includes about 304,370 acres of national forest lands, or less than 1 percent of the 193-million-acre national forest system.

Rey said estimates show, based on market values, that about 175,000 acres must be sold to meet the $800 million target. That revenue would provide roughly half the funding received by schools and counties during the past five years. The program, which expires this year, was designed to stabilize revenues in counties that depended on 25 percent of timber receipts during the logging heydays of the 1970s and '80s.

Flathead and Lincoln counties project substantial revenue losses even if the program is reauthorized for another five years.

They also could lose public lands that are considered valuable by local residents.

The "candidate list" includes 29 tracts totaling 2,928 acres in the Flathead National Forest and 35 tracts totaling 3,819 acres in the Kootenai National Forest.

The Flathead forest list includes Forest Service tracts along the Flathead River, along with national forest lands that are intermingled with state and private lands in the Swan Valley. The Forest Service, incidentally, has been a major player in land acquisition or conservation easement projects aimed at consolidating Swan Valley lands for wildlife habitat and public recreation.

Rey said the candidate list will be ranked in a way that recognizes highly valuable tracts and those considered controversial sales prospects. Sales would be carried on a forest-by-forest basis, he said, and when the $800 million target is reached, the program would be suspended.

"There are some of the sites in question that do not meet national forest needs, but that's not the same as meeting public needs," Rey said.

Rey said Congress could amend the proposal or reject it. He acknowledged that the Montana congressional delegation has expressed "deep concern" about the administration's approach and that another alternative for funding the program "would be far more preferable."

But, Rey said, no other alternatives are on the table.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., issued a press release Tuesday urging Montanans to "create a tidal wave of opposition" to the proposal.

"This is our chance to send the strong message that our public lands aren't for sale," he said. "I'm calling on Montanans to join me in standing up for our outdoor heritage. We need to speak out against this public lands sale early and often."

Digital maps displaying tracts on the list are available on the Internet at http://www.fs.fed.us.

Comments can be submitted until March 30 by e-mail to: SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us.

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