Montana’s nine national forests, two of which are in Greater Yellowstone, total nearly 20 million acres. These forested lands are important for people, wildlife, and our economy. Conserving and managing America’s forests are issues many public and private land managers navigate. Changing conditions mean old ways of managing forests no longer best serve our wild landscapes.

Fire suppression over the years altered forest composition and structure creating a vulnerable forest to extreme and damaging fires. Further, climate change is altering our forests and increasing fire risk. One thing we know for sure, we cannot cut our way out of this challenge. To address these and many more issues within our forests, Governor Bullock formed the Montana Forest Action Advisory Council. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition was asked to participate, and I joined the council soon thereafter.

GYC welcomed the opportunity to help meet the council’s main objective: developing the statewide Montana Forest Action Plan. It is the “all lands, all hands” plan for addressing forest health and wildfire risk across the state. The intent of the plan is help local land managers and partners leverage resources and work together.

There are three main parts to the plan: the statewide Assessment of Forest Conditions, the Priority Areas for Focused Attention and the recommended goals and strategies developed by the council. The Assessment of Forest Conditions examines conditions and trends affecting all forested lands in Montana. The Priority Areas for Focused Attention is a data-centered geospatial model used to identify areas at risk of fire, especially as it relates to human health and safety. The recommended goals and strategies provide guidance for local land managers and partners to utilize when designing cross boundary projects.

Thanks to the hard work of council members, the plan is now complete. The spirit of the plan is to form partnerships, work together, and work toward forest health as a community.

Visit the Montana Forest Action Plan website to learn about current forest conditions based on the information we have available to us now. You can also access the Assessment of Forest Conditions, Priority Areas for Focused Attention (maps), and the Montana Forest Action Plan (MFAP).

GYC is pleased to see the conservation emphasis within the plan. Our hope is that it provides strong guidance for land managers to focus their work toward the long-term health of forests, wildlife, water, and communities.

If you have any questions or would like to talk about GYC’s participation in this effort, please contact me at dwarden@greateryellowstone.org.

- Darcie Warden, Montana Conservation Coordinator