Collaborative Conservation

Partnership Promotes Resilience, Public Safety, and Community Well-being

The Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Forest Service holds great significance for the conservation and restoration of forested lands in northwest Montana.

NRCS and the Flathead National Forest are working together to address fuel loads and reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire to communities near the Salish Mountains west of Kalispell and north to the Whitefish Range. The multi-year project aims to address the unique challenges faced by public and private forested lands in the area, according to Sean Johnson, NRCS District Conservationist in Flathead County. These challenges include wildfire risk, forest health issues, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and the protection of water resources.

“This was a multi-year process of revisions and drafts trying to get this thing off the ground and funded and we were able to do that last year,” Johnson says, “and it’s really cool to see the whole thing take place.”

By promoting sustainable land management practices under the expert guidance of the NRCS, the partnership helps private landowners contribute to the overall health and ecological integrity of the forested landscapes in the region. All while the Forest Service and other partners work toward the same objectives on public lands.

“The goals we share with other land managers is a healthy, resilient forest for multiple uses,” says Forest Fire Prevention Officer for the Flathead National Forest, Mike West.

West previously served as the Assistant Fire Management Officer for Fuel Reduction on the Tally Lake Ranger District of the Flathead. These days, he works closely with his Joint Chief’s NRCS counterpart, Johnson, to make a landscape-scale difference by treating forests across land ownerships.

Joint Chiefs’ is a partnership primarily between the NRCS and Forest Service, which are both housed under the USDA, that began in 2014. Other partners on this project include the State of Montana, Flathead County, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and numerous private and public stakeholders.

There are currently more than 40 active projects as part of the Joint Chief’s program running across the country, with the muti-year project in Flathead National Forest being one of them.

According to West, the Forest Service’s relationship with the NRCS began through their local Firesafe Flathead group.

“When Sean Johnson got here as the District Conservationist, he actually sought us out as a group, which is a lot of different folks – the Forest Service, the County, the State of Montana, NRCS, a bunch of homeowners associations, and different fire departments.”

Working together made a lot of sense, according to West, “Because there’s not only a lot of work to do on the forest itself, but also a lot of public land interest in doing forest health and fuel reduction projects.”  
 

Implementing a Landscape-Scale Approach

One of the key aspects of the partnership is working with private landowners in the vicinity of public forested lands. The area is characterized by a mix of private and public lands, with many landowners having properties that adjoin or are near the Flathead National Forest. By engaging these private landowners, the partnership can foster a landscape-scale approach to conservation and restoration, ensuring that the benefits extend beyond public lands.

“To work across boundaries where you have three or four different private landowners, industry landowners, and the National Forest,” says West, “it takes a lot of work and relationships to explain to everybody why it’s important to reach a common goal.”

West and the Forest Service bring valuable expertise in forest management and conservation planning to the partnership. Their involvement ensures the restoration efforts align with the goals and objectives of the Flathead National Forest, while also considering the needs and priorities of local communities.

The joint efforts of the NRCS and the Forest Service not only aim to restore and conserve forest ecosystems, but also contribute to the overall well-being of the community. Healthy forests provide numerous benefits, including clean air and water, recreational opportunities, and support for local economies through tourism, outdoor activities, and wood products.
 

Keeping the Public Safe

Another key aspect of the project is public safety. The location of the project being on the west side of the Flathead Valley plays a role in how the Forest Service and NRCS are approaching the project because large fires tend to move from west to east.

“Being right here in the wildland urban interface with the prevailing wind direction, these treatments we’re doing and connecting all these fuel breaks is very important,” says West. “If we have a large fire coming off the National Forest and into the town, it will either allow us a chance to manage the fire or hopefully stop it. Or if not, modify the fire intensity to where we just have a less intense fire coming into where people’s home are.”

Since the project started, West says they have already connected over 20 miles of fuel breaks across the National Forest and multiple ownerships all in an effort to reduce and mitigate wildfire threats.

“Being able to do that work in advance of a wildfire is a lot less stressful and safer because we’re not trying to complete that work in a rushed fashion with a fire bearing down on us,” he says. “It’s a lot easier and safer to do that work on the front end.”

West explains firefighters could find themselves having to deal with 20 to 40 and even 100-foot flame lengths rather than the much more desirable 4-footh lengths achievable by putting in the fuel treatments. Not only is this a better fire behavior to deal with during an event, but also one that leaves much less negative after-effect on the land itself.

Having in-place fuel treatments means less chance of tree torching which creates embers that lead to spot fires.

“Post-fire we’re much more likely to have a healthy, intact, functioning forest environment instead of a stand replacement like a wildfire where we would lose the majority of overstory trees,” says West.
 

Improving the Land and Changing Minds

Just a year into the project, West, just like Johnson, is already starting to see changes. “And not just the vegetation that we’re managing,” he says.

He points out the amount of interest the work is garnering from more private landowners and other partners is growing and that’s a good thing.

“When they see the end result of the work, they recognize that ‘wow, that does look nice and I do see how that can make a difference’,” he says. “I think being able to put enough work out there that’s square in the public’s eye and to be able to tell the story helps a lot because it gets more folks interested in doing other work.”

Beyond the local presence, they’ve caught the attention of policy and decision makers, too.

“We’ve also received Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in addition to our Joint Chief’s allocation which was super helpful,” says West. Effectively linking two preplanned road constructions through these interconnected fuel breaks has provided firefighters and the public multiple access routes, enhancing safety and accessibility.

The project is an example of a collaborative conservation effort that preserves forested lands. By working together, West and Johnson are more effectively addressing wildfires and other forest health issues. Engaging private landowners, they ensure the sustainable management of forested lands and provide benefits like clean air and water, recreation, and economic support.

Most importantly, the partnership is fostering a resilient natural environment for generations to come with an understanding that fire is inevitable.

“Were never going to address a property and remove wildfire from the landscape and totally mitigate against it, Johnson says, “but by doing treatments like this we can keep it on the ground where it’s manageable and the fire crews can get in here and do what they need to do.”

Johnson mentions the large catastrophic fires with incredible heat causing destruction that we see taking place more and more across the West.

“We’re trying to avoid catastrophic fire, but still knowing these species need fire to thrive and to regenerate. It’s how they’ve all adapted over time.”