Cameras rolled Tuesday, July 28, at the Big Sky Forest Products Post and Pole plant as a professional film crew documented how Montana timber is transformed into useful products with virtually nothing going to waste. 

The St. Regis facility was one of several stops for White Cliff Productions of Kalispell, which is producing a four-part educational video series. The films will highlight responsible forest management and demonstrate how timber harvested from Montana forests is used from start to finish.

"I called the two best filmmakers to help with this project. They weren't available, so I got these two," joked White Cliff Productions owner Paul Neff, drawing laughter from the crew. The friendly jab was directed at fellow filmmakers Clint Ekern of Sky Vault Media and Dusty Jones of Film Saints Productions. 

While competitors by trade, the trio joined forces to tell the story of Montana's forest products industry. 

"We are doing a video for the Society of American Foresters," Neff said. "Basically, we are educating the public on proper forest management and also showing what happens to all the timber and material that is taken off the land. We want people to see what it produces and understand that everything is used." 

Neff explained that the small-diameter logs processed at the St. Regis Post & Pole plant are ideally suited for its products, while other byproducts, including hog fuel, are used to generate heat and electricity at F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber in Columbia Falls. 

"All of the byproduct isn't going to waste," Neff said. "It's getting used." 

The production follows timber through each stage of its journey, filming at multiple facilities across the state. Previous stops included SmartLam North America and F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber in Columbia Falls, where materials are shared between the companies to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. 

"It's fun and amazing to see how it's all made," Neff said. "We're working with Liz (Thompson) this morning as she takes us through the entire plant. We'll capture how the raw material arrives, moves through the milling process and leaves the facility as a finished product."

The finished series will debut in Tacoma, Washington, before eventually being available through the Society of American Foresters. Filmmaker Clint Ekern said the team is combining ground-level footage with aerial drone video to tell a compelling visual story. 

"We'll show the whole plant from the ground and from the air, with the smoky-air mountains in the background," Ekern said. "We're storytellers at heart, and we want to make this as visual and impactful as possible."

For Big Sky Forest Products Office Manager Liz Thompson, the message extends beyond manufacturing. 

"The focus is the use of the resources," Thompson said. "We're not just taking wood out of the forests and throwing it away. Even our byproducts get used for something else, so there is next to no waste." 

She said sustainable forest management also benefits local communities. 

"The significance of this company, to me, is what we are doing for the local forests and their health, and what we are doing for the local economy by providing jobs to the people who live here," she said.

While giving the film crew a tour of the facility, Thompson also shared news of a unique community celebration planned inside the company's new wood-treating building before equipment is installed. 

"When we poured this giant concrete floor, I joked that I was going to bring my kids down here to roller skate," Thompson said with a laugh. "The owner's wife saw pictures of it and said, 'We should have a roller-skating party.' Gary (Suppiger, owner of Big Sky Forest Products) called me, and I said, 'Yes! We should!'" 

The public is invited to lace up their roller skates, inline skates or bring skateboards for free community skating sessions on Saturdays, Aug. 8 and Aug. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. Music, hot dogs and refreshments will be provided, with Mineral County Resource Officer Willy Peck and volunteers helping with the event. 

"It's purely an opportunity for the community to do something fun," Thompson said. "Bring your wheels and your kneepads, and we'll have a good time." 

The massive new building measures 104 feet by 202 feet, offering plenty of room for one-of-a-kind skating before it begins its new role in the wood-treating operation.