HELENA — Calling it a critical juncture for the future of Montana’s forests, Gov. Steve Bullock this week announced his “Forests in Focus” initiative, a multidimensional strategy to accelerate the pace and scale of forest restoration, watershed protection and wildlife habitat improvement on private and federal forests across the state. 

“We are at a crossroads with forest health, our mills and the future condition of our forests,” Bullock said. “The aftermath of a years-long mountain pine beetle epidemic, stalled projects on thousands of acres of national forests, and continued threats from wildfires provide a strong basis for increased focus on how we manage forests and how we ensure we have a vibrant wood products industry providing good-paying jobs for Montanans.”

 The urgency of the governor’s remarks have been echoed at the national level, and the Forestry Title in the 2014 Farm Bill provides several new tools aimed at accelerating sustainable forest management throughout the national forest system. A key provision of the Farm Bill provided Bullock the opportunity to recommend priority landscapes for treatment based on forest health and wildfire risk. Of the nearly 5 million acres Bullock proposed, 99 percent were approved by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Priority landscapes have been identified on every national forest in Montana.

 The Forests in Focus initiative has four key components: Forest Industry and Montana’s Restoration Economy; Collaboration and Partnerships; Tribal, State and Private Forests; and Federal Forest Management.

 The governor called upon land managers, timber industry representatives, the conservation community, private landowners, elected officials and others to work together to meet the challenges facing Montana’s forests.

“Working together, we can address the challenges we face and craft meaningful solutions to ensure Montana’s forests continue to provide many benefits for current and future generations,” he said.

 More information on the Forests in Focus initiative can be found on the Montana DNRC website at http://dnrc.mt.gov/