Montana's Forest Legacy Program is
designed to conserve forest lands and to maintain
natural and public values by assisting with the
purchase of conservation easements or fee-title
on private forest lands. A conservation easement
is a legal means that allows land to remain in private
ownership while ensuring natural resource values
of the land will not be compromised by incompatible
development. The program offers an opportunity
for private, local, state, and federal interests
to cooperatively furnish forest landowners with
new incentives to voluntarily protect their forest
resources.
Landowner participation in the program
is completely voluntary. The landowner must be
a willing seller of the parcel, to which he or she
must hold a clear and unencumbered title. The landowner
must clearly understand the conservation easement
concept. Landowners who wish to include their lands
in the program may submit an application to Montana
Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Their lands must be
forested, must fall within designated forest legacy
areas, must meet specific eligibility criteria described
herein, and must conserve forest resources. A 25%
cost-share match of purchase funds must also be
available.
The Federal Forest Legacy Program
is one of several national programs established
to promote the long-term integrity of forest lands.
Specifically, the intent of the Forest Legacy Program
is to identify and protect environmentally important
private forest lands that are threatened by conversion
to non-forest uses. The U.s. Forest Service implements
the program through close cooperation with a lead
state agency designated by the Governor. Montana
Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is the lead agency in
Montana.
The overall goal of the Montana Forest
Legacy Program is to conserve and enhance land,
water, wildlife, and timber resources while providing
for the continued working of Montana's forest lands
and the maintenance of natural and public values.
Many forest lands across Montana will meet the eligibility
criteria for the Forest Legacy Program. To determine
the outstanding ones, each area will be evaluated
within its regional context. Those values may be
expressed in terms of regionally distinctive scenic,
geologic, or biological resources and societal benefits.
Ideally, areas selected will embody multiple public
values of a regional scale, be acquirable, and enjoy
public support for that purpose, be threatened with
imminent conversion, be delineated by natural boundaries,
and/or contribute to biodiversity.
Montana's Forest Legacy Areas
The Montana Forest Legacy Program
delineates six Forest Legacy Areas "FLAs):
The Northwest Forest Legacy Area encompasses
Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, and Lake Counties.
The West-Central Forest Legacy Area
encompasses Mineral, Missoula, Granite, Powell,
and Ravalli Counties.
The Southwest Forest Legacy Area encompasses
Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin,
and Park Counties.
The Central Forest Legacy Area encompasses
Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Jefferson,
Judith Basin, Lewis & Clark, Meagher, and Wheatland
Counties.
The Northeast Forest Legacy Area encompasses
Glacier, Pondera, Teton, Toole, Liberty, Hill, Blaine,
Phillips, Petroleum, Valley, Garfield, McCone, Daniels,
Roosevelt, and Sheridan Counties.
The southeast Forest Legacy Area encompasses
Big horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon,
Golden Valley, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie,
Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Treasure,
Yellowstone, and Wibaux Counties.
