The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service Kootenai National Forest, will begin timber harvest operations this winter on two Good Neighbor Authority projects south of Libby in Lincoln County.  

The Snowshoe Granite 1000 Roadside Fuel Break project aims to reduce wildfire risk to nearby homes and infrastructure in the wildland-urban interface by removing hazardous fuels and creating shaded fuel breaks along the Granite Creek, Snowshoe and Deep Creek road systems west of U.S. Highway 2, creating a primary line of defense against wildfire. 

State and federal officials say the work will also improve forest health and resilience to insects and disease. The Good Neighbor Authority was authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill and empowers the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to partner with federal agencies to manage and restore federal lands using state procedures, personnel and contracts.

The project underwent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis led by the USFS with support from DNRC, and a final decision was issued in April 2025. After the decision, two separate timber contracts were awarded to carry out mitigation work: GNA ImPeckable Project to Stimson Lumber Company and the GNA Deep Trouble project to Idaho Forest Group Timber LLC. Revenue generated from GNA timber sales go directly back to the program to complete restoration work.

The ImPeckable Project, about one mile southwest of Libby, covers 482 acres on Kootenai National Forest lands and will produce 14,745 estimated tons of saw logs from ponderosa pine and other species. Board footage is estimated at 3.8 million.

Stimson Lumber’s bid of $445,715.45 was easily the best received, surpassing Thompson Falls’ CR Logging’s bid of $345,666.58. Ron Cummings Hauling of Libby bid $274,720 and Idaho Forest Group bid $233,977.25. The minimum bid was $230,733.35.

Logging will occur in the Flower Lake, Granite Lake, Snowshoe, Deep Granite, Lower Granite and Prospect Creek road areas. The harvest deadline is Oct. 1, 2028.

The Deep Trouble project will encompass 298 acres, producing an estimated 14,991 tons of mixed conifer saw logs and 2.178 million board feet. It is located seven miles south of Libby on Forest Roads 4791 and 4792.

Idaho Forest Group bid $174,944.97 to claim the job. Stimson bid $172.546.41. The minimum was $169,548.21. The harvest deadline is Oct. 1, 2029.

“This project was brought forward by Lincoln County and demonstrates a partnership built to accomplish important work in and around the community of Libby,” said DNRC GNA forester, Jodi Turk. 

Established under the 2014 Farm Bill, GNA allows states, counties and tribes to enter into agreements with federal agencies to conduct restoration work on National Forest System Lands. For more information on Good Neighbor Authority, visit: https://dnrc.mt.gov/goodneighborauthority/.

According to U.S. Forest Service research, homes in Lincoln County are at greater wildfire risk than 94 percent of counties in the United States. The area has had other GNA projects completed in the last few years, including the Ski Dale in 2021, which was the first in Lincoln County.

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Shultz signed off on a new, shared forest management agreement the governor said was the first of its kind between the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The 20-year deal with the Forest Service is the first of its kind in the nation, Gianforte said. It will implement a shared forest management vision across more than 200,000 acres of forested land in northwest Montana.

According to the governor’s office, the new Shared Stewardship Agreement will leverage the Good Neighbor Authority and EXPLORE Act to streamline projects and reduce regulatory delays. Both the state and Forest Service said they’ll jointly select large-scale management projects.