MISSOULA — Three large properties purchased in part with funding from the open-space bond serve as the linchpin in an application submitted by the City of Missoula, which hopes to land funding from the U.S. Forest Service to improve forest health.
On Thursday, Missoula County officially backed the city's application to the Forest Landowner Support program to improve forest health and conduct general forest management on Marshall Mountain Park, Marshall Grade and the Mount Dean Stone Preserve.
The county's focus lies more specifically on Marshall Mountain, according to Jackson Lee, the county's parks and trails project specialist.
“The funding request would address the high- and moderate-priority management areas,” he said. “These areas constitute nearly 70% of the total acreage of Marshall Mountain Park.”
The city and county jointly purchased Marshall Mountain last year and, in doing so, they pledged to address forest health and other management needs. If awarded, funding from the grant would be applied toward “landscape scale restoration” and to conserve “high-quality wildlife habitat.”
It would also be used to maintain a buffer zone between forested areas and private property within the wildland-urban interface. The county will partner with the city's conservation lands division to conduct the work.
Lee said the grant request will range from $700,000 to $800,000 and requires a 20% local match.
“Targeted management actions will increase forest health and vigor, improve terrestrial and aquatic habitat, reduce the risk of wildfire and forest insects and disease, while also improving recreation features,” the county said in its application.
The county added that such action would parallel similar efforts on neighboring lands managed by the Lolo National Forest and the Five Valleys Land Trust.
