About the Montana Forest Collaboration Network

By Steve Kimball — MFCN Coordinator

The Montana Forest Collaboration Network (MFCN) was formed in 2016, building on the work of the former Montana Forest Restoration Committee (MFRC) that began in 2007 with the purpose of helping guide the ecological restoration of Montana’s National Forests. It is a statewide umbrella organization with a mission to assist Montana collaborative groups in their efforts in forest and grassland restoration, conservation, and resource utilization across federal, state, and private lands.

MFCN provides workshops, webinars, grant funding, information, and other assistance to collaborative groups across Montana. The groups help inform the public through field trips, public meetings, media releases, and social media posts. There are currently 27 MFCN network groups. Collaborative groups provide agency land managers with additional information and different perspectives to help them develop more informed decisions. Collaboratives serve as the institutional memory of place, which can greatly assist agencies and their new leaders during transitions.

Collaboration work in Montana is diverse. Groups are involved with designing restoration projects, reducing wildfire risk, engaging with Forest Plan revision and travel management planning, filing on litigation, public education and outreach, and resolving complex natural resource issues. Groups are also assisting agencies in assessing how forest management can adapt to a changing climate.

Each group has a distinct story of diverse backgrounds and interests, developing relationships, personal investment of time and effort, and connection to place. What the groups have in common is a passion for the land and resources, a commitment to finding common ground, and seeing results on the ground.

The original charter of National Forests was to provide resources and use of these lands for the American public under a multiple-use concept that allowed local economic development, resource conservation and the overall well-being of the nation. “The greatest good for the greatest number in the long run” is a concept often quoted and attributed to the nation’s first Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot. Multiple uses, however, also create settings where potentially competing uses might come into conflict. As rural economies developed, different business enterprises also developed around them, and as human populations grew, so did the pressure on landscapes to provide diverse opportunities. To help federal land managers such as the Forest Service and BLM develop priorities, Resource Advisory Councils (RACs) were developed with local stakeholders and community leaders. However, as national priorities shifted from a strong bias for economic development across National Forests to one of greater ecological protection, appointed RACs often failed to meet needs. As federal lands often formed the single largest land manager within western Montana counties, the needs of local communities and stakeholders came together in the form of local “collaborative groups,” where commonalities among land-use adversaries were sought to provide guidance to local Forest Service and other public administrators.

One of the most successful collaborative groups in the nation was the Blackfoot Challenge, where ranchers, private landowners, the College of Forestry at the University of Montana, community members, a local sawmill, state managers and the Forest Service regularly met over a map of the Blackfoot river drainage to reach a joint understanding of future land management. This success was an inspiration to other local communities across western Montana and is an inspiration to the other 26 collaborative efforts (and maybe more in the future) where stakeholders formed groups to break the gridlock over forest service land management within local geographic regions. Since the Forest Service has adopted an “all lands” approach, it is important for landowners near or adjoining Forest Service lands to be part of the landscape decision-making process to better coordinate where federal funds are spent to mitigate wildfire hazards, improve wildlife habitat and watershed management, to control insect and disease issues, and to make infrastructure improvements.

Assisting collaboration in forest and grassland restoration, conservation, and resource utilization — for the benefit of all

As Coordinator, I’m privileged to travel the state to participate with our network groups. In doing this, I collect insights and resources to share with other groups. The groups are eager to share and learn lessons with others.

There are many collaborative groups and efforts beyond our 27 groups. MFCN works with and supports several dozen watershed groups and partners working together to improve water and habitat in Montana.

In 2025, MFCN will host three webinars on prescribed fire, lessons from forestry litigation, and partnership agreements. We’ll provide NEPA training and develop issue papers to inform groups on pressing issues. We’ll develop a strategic plan to guide MFCN for the long term.

One clear goal is to expand the footprint of collaboration to bring new perspectives and voices to our tables. With the threat of wildfire and forest health impacts rising to crisis levels, collaboration is needed more than ever. MFCN groups are always looking for new members to join, particularly private landowners who are underrepresented in most groups.

If you are passionate about the health of our forests, please consider joining a local collaborative group. Below is a list of the MFCN Participating Groups which includes contact information for each group.