MISSOULA — The recent collapse of western Montana's timber industry did more than eliminate jobs, it also left Missoula County and various management agencies with one less tool to manage area forests.
But county commissioners on Monday joined officials with the Bureau of Land Management and the Blackfoot Challenge to explore ways to bring the necessary partners to the table and revitalize the region's timber industry.
If the industry is going to reemerge, it will need to do so under a new model, they said.
“There's an acknowledgment that industry is a partner when you look at the millions of acres of federal land, as well as the private forested land and state land,” said Erin Carey, the BLM's Missoula field manager. “When you look at the restoration needs across millions of acres in western Montana, we cannot accomplish those restoration outcomes without industry at the table.”
Last year, Pyramid Mountain Lumber closed, and while an effort was made to bring new investors to the table, that late-hour push didn't work out. The loss of the plant left dozens of employees without work, and it also cost the region one of its primary tools for forest management.
Months later, the Roseburg plant in Missoula also closed, leaving a hole in the forest products industry. Both businesses cited certain economic factors among the reasons for the closure, which punctuated the challenges facing the timber industry in western Montana.
County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said if the industry is going to reboot, it will need to do so under a new model focused on new products. Where that occurs and at what scale remains to be determined, but the county believes new investors could be courted by the right economic formula.
“Given the order of magnitude of the public benefit involved, maybe that warrants more than a robust public-private partnership, but also a call to the state of Montana,” said Strohmaier. “This is an opportunity for Montana state government to step up. We're talking about a regional need that needs to be addressed.”
While Roseburg made use of forest products in its particleboard facility, Pyramid moved the timber out of the forest. The operation served as a key partner in forest restoration work within the Blackfoot watershed.
Late last year, county officials joined the BLM and other land managers in touring that restoration work. But with news of Pyramid's closure still fresh, questions emerged over ongoing projects.
“We've been doing a lot of work over the last year to bring all the partners in that landscape in alignment with a vision of where we want to go with restoration,” said Carey. “We want to take real steps toward implementing those actions on the ground. I think the opportunity exists. You have a number of willing agencies, and you have a huge resource at the University of Montana.”
While the days of logging large trees for lumber may be gone, those looking to bring the timber industry back are exploring a new business model built around a new base of products. Among them, forest restoration could be an industry in itself, along with the creation of new products like cross-laminated timber.
Commissioner Josh Slotnick said investors have expressed interest in picking up where Pyramid left off, but they currently remain “voices in the shadows.” While the county doesn't have money to invest, he said it could partner by creating a Targeted Economic Development District or offering industrial tax credits.
“Nothing formally has been asked of us,” Slotnick said. “But those are things the county could do. I don't know how we get these folks to step out of the shadows to sit here with all these agencies.”
Carey said more information could be released later this year as the effort evolves.
“We are in alignment, and we'd be a willing partner when that opportunity arises,” she said. “Maybe by the end of the quarter we'll have more details, and we'll start getting into more detailed conversations about what a partnership looks like. We can open up a degree of certainty that allows the private sector to make some capital investments they wouldn't otherwise. Those are the types of things we can bring to the table.”
