By Holly McKenzie - Montana Tree Farm Chair 

A smiling woman with darker hair standing outdoors next to a trellis with orchid blooms and foliage

This was a busy year for Montana Tree Farm! This program is strongly supported by our forest products industry community and the State DNRC as well. Our success is dependent upon our steering committee members, so I want to shout out a thank you to the newest members who joined us this year. Newest member to the team is Mark Schiltz from Montana Land Reliance. Mark represents conservation interests for forest landowners, and we are excited to have someone on board who can help with inquiries about conservation easements. We also gained Zach Bashoor from Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Tye Sundt from Weyerhaeuser in Kalispell, Jeff Whitlock from F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber in Columbia Falls, Pat McKelvey (MFOA member and Tree Farmer in Helena), Tim Benedict (retired Forest Service and Tree Farm Inspector) who resides in White Sulphur Spring, and Angelo Ververas of IFG in St. Regis. All of these new and previous Steering Committee members have been instrumental in helping us through the past year of Inspections, Peer Networking, Annual Meeting in Helena, and SFI audits. Thank you everyone for your help!

Montana Certification Assessment: With incredible effort by our committee members, Inspectors, and of course our dedicated Tree Farmers, the Montana Certification Assessment Review by PricewaterhouseCoopers was conducted virtually on 15 randomly selected Tree Farms. The purpose of this third-party assessment process is to verify that Montana’s Tree Farm program continues to meet the Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification. The assessment team randomly selected 15 tree farms from broad geographic areas and reviewed management plans and interviewed the landowners during a one-week timeframe: The Tree Farms ranged in size from 10 to 4,000 acres and the auditors were impressed with how diverse our approach is to thinning and managing these forest tracts. They liked how many of our members expressed their appreciation of the MSU Forest Stewardship Workshop which was their first exposure to how they might take care of their forestland. Montana was commended for our efforts to make sure every Tree Farmer gets a 5-year visit from a resource professional.

We were also humbled by auditor findings and realized we have some deficiencies and corrective actions needed during our assessment process. The primary errors in our performance measures involved written management plans that did not address FORI (forests of recognized importance), special sites on the landscape, desired age and future condition, and desired wildlife species. This was a great reminder for us to review these Inspection Form items with our Montana Inspectors, as well as reminding Tree Farmers to periodically read and update their management plans to address items that might not have been considered at the time your plan was written. The MSU Extension Forestry website has the latest template of the Forest Stewardship and Tree Farm plan which addresses the critical elements that need to be in every plan. All Tree Farmers and Inspectors need to pull out their plan, review in the context of the 021 Standard and update as necessary. There are some handy update templates available to guide you through this or reach out to your Inspector for guidance. This must be done regularly, at a minimum every 5 years or as needed to meet changes in your objectives, tree farm conditions or when there are updates to the Standards Of Sustainability.

Membership Fees: For the first time in Montana history, Tree Farm sent out invoices and asked all Tree Farm-ers for a $25 annual membership fee to help us cover expenses in 2022. We have discussed doing this for many years due to the cost of newsletters, awards, part time administrative help, and other special programs like Peer Networking. Many of you responded favorably and donated additional funds to help us with our scholarship and awards as well. This is a friendly reminder to send those uses in as soon as possible so we won’t have to mail out as many reminders. Thanks for helping us make ends meet.

Results of Peer Network Pilot Program (with AFF and DNRC partners) Summary and Reflection:

• 37 Montana Tree Farmers stepped up to join this network and mentor their peers

• 4 orientation events were held to discuss the goals and purpose of this network in the 3 target counties (Lincoln, Flat-head and Sanders)

• 3 field tours (one in each county) took place, involving approximately 145 participants

• 5 virtual events are planned for 2021–2022

• 21 individual landowner visits (representing 1,259 acres) resulted in 15 summary reports advising next steps

•  From the summary reports: 

    • 80% of landowners are interested in becoming Tree Farmer members,

    • 80% plan to take the MSU Forest Stewardship Workshop,

    • 60% are interested in a visit from their DNRC service forester,

    • 73% are interested in cost-share assistance, and

    • 73% would like to participate in a networking event or forestry field day

    • The remaining $9,461.77 from the original grant can be spent in 2022

We are most excited that so many people (plus spouses/partners/children) raised their hand to be a part of this network. We believe this demonstrates the value people see in Tree Farm and their commitment to good forest management! Beyond the encouraging numbers listed above, a few highlights stick out to me:

  In Kila, new Montana landowners were getting started on the right foot by seeking out forestry information before they built their homes; they also got to know one another as new neighbors and made plans to continue helping each other in their work as forest stewards. In Trego, 17 landowners subsequently responded to outreach and a Tree Farm field tour and are now in the pipeline for NRCS cost-share funding to accomplish thinning projects. In Thompson Falls, Tree Farmers gathered to meet one another, see a working ranch and productive forest, and learn about wildfire resiliency, a timely lesson as the Thorne Creek Fire approached. 

In addition, this community of Tree Farmers and other forest landowners have helped one another via email, through phone calls, during orientation events, and as participants in our first winter webinar. MTFS should be proud of its dedicated members and can hopefully capitalize on this enthusiasm and momentum.

Insights:

• Tree Farmers are hungry for more interaction and connection with one another. Beyond certification and inspections, they are interested in belonging to a community where they can learn, share, and socialize.

• Having local, state, and federal agency employees at events is a good way for landowners to ask questions, put faces to titles, and feel more comfortable reaching out to government agencies.

• Many new forest landowners coming to MT from other states have been eager to prove they are responsible stewards of their new properties. This is good news for our forests and may be a group to tap for growing Tree Farm membership.

  The above Peer Network program was primarily created through efforts by our Steering Committee member, Jane Mandala who is also a fellow Tree Farmer. Jane helped us extensively administrating the Tree Farm program and the Peer Network during 2021. Jane has taken a full time job with National Forest Foundation and we are now searching for a new part time administrator (see ad in this newsletter) and another Peer Networking Coordinator. Thank you, Jane, for all you did for Tree Farm this past year! Everyone agreed that the peer network was beneficial and would be good to continue throughout Montana in the future.

A diamond-shaped logo for "Certified Family Forest" featuring a central seal and the words Wood, Water, Recreation, and Wildlife along the outer edges