Commissioner urges local input on Forest Service timber-sales hearing affecting Deer Lodge County

Commissioner Ed Beaudette said Deer Lodge County should participate in an upcoming Forest Service public hearing on a proposed continuous-yield timber-sales plan that would make timber available across southwestern Montana, including large portions of Deer Lodge County. He told the commission the meeting is scheduled for April 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Delta Colonial Hotel in Helena and encouraged local residents and stakeholders to attend.

Beaudette described a related project around Discovery Basin and Echo Lake being led by the Philipsburg district ranger, saying managers are considering removal of large amounts of dead and dying lodgepole to protect trail and cross-country ski areas and reduce wildfire risk. "The meeting is going to be held at the Delta Colonial Hotel in Helena on April 1, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM," Beaudette said. He added that, because of topography and prevailing winds, a fire that starts at Echo Lake could spread rapidly toward Discovery Basin and local structures, making early input and planning important.

Why it matters: commissioners said the continuous-yield approach is intended to provide long-term timber supply certainty for local businesses, naming KLM and Sun Mountain Logging as examples whose operations could be affected. The county’s role is primarily advisory and advocacy during the Forest Service planning and public-comment process. The commission did not take formal action at the meeting but recorded Beaudette’s report and intent to follow the project.