All of us see logging trucks going through town, know folks working in the woods and see active logging around Seeley Lake. Reactions to active or recent logging are varied, depending on the experiences of the person reacting and the prescription being met on the ground. Like it or not, all property owners have rights and their land management objectives may not match the objective of someone observing the logging activity. Big Larch Campground would be a good example of that.
What about those who might not like what they see, how do they know what is happening on the ground is appropriate or even legal?
Montana has instituted a program that addresses forest management and timber harvest. Forestry Best Management Practices (BMP’s) provide standards to protect water, soil and other resources during timber harvesting and other types of forest operations. BMP’s came from the 1987 Montana Legislature, who directed the Montana Environmental Quality Council (EQC) to study how “current forest management practices are affecting watersheds in Montana.”
In 1991 the Montana Legislature created another program. The Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) Law provides structure to forest practices by restricting and regulating commercial forest operations along streams and lakes. The law was designed to be applied in both general and specific terms. Individual sites can be managed through a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) granted Alternative Practice which allows activities that would normally be prohibited but through review and environmental analysis are deemed to a be a better approach. SMZ rules were adopted on March 15, 1993 and they define and clarify the SMZ law and associated enforcement policies.
Unique to BMP and SMZ laws is a Field Review process. Montana DNRC evaluates forest practices every two years and reports to EQC. There are three Field Review teams established and each team is comprised of the following: fisheries biologist, forester, hydrologist, conservation organization representative, road engineer, soil scientist, non-industrial private forest landowner and/or logging professional. Additional observers are always welcome.
These Field Review teams go out and audit sites for BMP and SMZ compliance. For 2018, DNRC selected 42 new timber harvest sites to be audited. The teams evaluated a total of 49 BMP standards at each site, rating the application and effectiveness for each BMP on a five point scale.
There are five objectives for the Field Review:
Determine if BMP’s are being utilized on timber harvest operations.
Evaluate the effectiveness of BMP’s in protecting soil and water resources.
Assess the implementation of the SMZ Law and Rules to determine effectiveness in terms of protecting water quality.
Collect solid information to refine and focus ongoing educational efforts.
Provide information on the need to revise, clarify, or strengthen BMP’s.
All 42 sites were evaluated for both BMP application (were the rules properly applied?) and effectiveness (was the intent of the rule met?). For both application and effectiveness, over 97 percent of the time BMP’s were properly adhered to in protecting soil and water resources.
The Field Review teams also evaluated application and effectiveness of the Montana SMZ Law. Out of the 308 ratings for application and effectiveness, the teams found nine minor departures for application and six minor impacts for effectiveness.
Site inspections occurred from late June through late August. The landowners and logger responsible for the site being evaluated are also in attendance, as well as all the team members. There is a briefing giving background information such as silvicultural prescription, season of operation, harvest method and associated practices. Maps are provided showing cutting units, road placement, culverts and any other distinguishing features. After the audit, and before leaving the site, the team gathers to discuss and determine the official BMP ratings.
Audit results are grouped by ownership. State lands, federal lands, industrial timberlands (Weyerhaeuser, Stimson, The Nature Conservancy, etc.) and non-industrial private forested lands (any private individual with timber harvesting activities) are all ranked independently and then combined.
Combining application and effectiveness, including the SMZ ratings, the 2018 field reviews rated a total of 3388 practices across all 42 reviewed sites. There were a combined total of 83 ratings with either a departure or an impact, which is only 2.4 percent of all the practices evaluated.
Since the BMP and SMZ laws were established, there has been a marked improvement in the application of land management practices. Since 2000, the audit results have looked similar. Part of the success comes from loggers and landowners with a higher expectation towards the outcome. Part of it comes from logging technology and more “light on the land” equipment. And part of it has to be the increased scrutiny on the logging community the past several years. Looking at the results, industry has proved they are up to the challenge.
Pyramid Mountain Lumber produces lumber certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Each year SFI comes and audits a random sample of logging operations providing Pyramid logs. Having strong environmental laws in place and a logging industry that adheres to the laws helps ensure that Pyramid can meet the SFI audit standards. As “The Stewardship Company,” Pyramid takes its role in maintaining healthy forests and clean water to heart.
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