Politics aside, a logging bill now halfway through Congress would transform the Montana logging industry from a trickle to a torrent.
The Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act envisions a six-fold increase in timber harvest from Montana’s nine national forests, from 62.5 million board feet cut in 2012 to a regular production of 380.5 million board feet. The impact would vary greatly from forest to forest.
For example, the Bitterroot National Forest would be expected to produce 21 million board feet a year, up from 2012’s 11 million board feet. Next door, the Lolo National Forest would see its quota rise from 7 million board feet to 89 million. The Kootenai National Forest in the northwest corner of the state would expand from 24 million to 145 million board feet a year.
The numbers come from U.S. Forest Service records compiled by Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who is a co-sponsor of the Restoring Healthy Forests bill. Also known as HR 1526, the bill passed the House of Representatives on a 244-173 vote on Sept. 20.
The legislation mandates annual harvests of one-half the Forest Service’s long-term sustainable yield for each national forest. That would match the harvest rates of 20 years ago, according to Montana Wood Products Association executive vice president Julia Altemus.
From The Ravalli Republic: https://www.ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_2c4747df-6224-54ce-965d-58f90ab1dbe4.html?comment_form=true