TIMBER HARVESTING
Harvesting Regulations
"Timberland managers in Montana, both public and private, adhere to state and federal laws governing environmental protection. Of primary importance are Montana's Streamside Management Zone Protection Law, and Montana's voluntary Best Management Practices. The State of Montana audits landowner compliance with these requirements every two years, and has found tremendous compliance rates for all land managers."
Many people believe loggers can harvest timber whenever and wherever they desire, without regard for the environment. This is not true. Both state and federal regulations limit when, where and how logging operations are conducted.
Among the most important federal laws: the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Road Design, Construction and Maintenance
Forest road construction standards have been upgraded significantly since the early 1980's, a result of numerous scientific studies which demonstrated that poorly designed roads were a major source of stream sedimentation.
During spring runoff, poorly designed roads, or roads built in the wrong places, can act as man-made streams, carrying excessive amounts of sediment into rivers, streams and lakes. Where sediment settles back to the bottom, it can plug spaces between rocks and pebbles where fish have laid their eggs, suffocating unborn fry.
Imagine the potential scale of this problem in a state the size of Montana, where more than 11,000 individuals own more than three million acres of forestland, mostly roaded. Now add the thousands of miles of roads that provide Montana's with easy access to their national forests. Now you can see how poorly constructed or maintained roads might be a problem. BMP guidelines provide landowners with science-based knowledge they can use to locate, design, construct and maintain roads, bridges and culverts that minimize the risk of erosion.
Timber Harvesting and BMPs
Montana's BMP guidebook also includes a section explaining how to design a harvest plan that fits both terrain and tree species. Emphasis is placed on minimizing erosion on haul roads and log skidding trails. Terrain dictates which logging systems work best, so the booklet also includes a detailed discussion of suitable systems. Steeper hillsides are best logged with "skyline" systems that suspend logs above the ground, minimizing soil disturbance and erosion. Tractors and bulldozers work better on flatter ground where soils are less likely to erode.
Timber harvesting and mineral leases on Montana state trust lands also generate income for schools across the state. Over the past five years, trust land management activities have returned an average $26.3 million per year to school trusts. These lands span more than 6.3 million acres granted to the state by Congress, for school support, in 1889. The Department of State Lands manages timber, surface and mineral resources on these lands, for the sole benefit of the common schools and endowed institutions of Montana. Acreage allocations are listed in the table below. | 
