FWP, Plum Creek, Stoltze, Remind Hunters To Take Special Care And Follow Road Guidelines During Spring Breakup

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Contacts: MT FWP: Jon Obst, Warden Sargeant; 751-4560

Plum Creek Timber Co.: Steve Robbins, 751-2400; Jerry Wolcott, Libby, 293-6204

Stoltze Land and Lumber Co.: Paul McKenzie, 892-7000

With the late spring this year, users of Plum Creek and Stoltze timberlands should be particularly careful not to damage roads as spring break-up occurs. Spring bear hunters and others should avoid driving on open roads if the roads are wet or soft. When wet roads are rutted, access could be lost for a year or more to make repairs or they could be closed permanently. Here are some particulars about using these private timberlands.

Plum Creek Lands:

Hunters in northwest Montana have benefited for years from access to more than 700,000 acres of Plum Creek lands. FWP and Plum Creek are party to a block management agreement that ensures public access. The agreement has helped keep these lands open for hunters. Some hunting districts west of Kalispell are made up almost entirely of Plum Creek lands.

Hunters are urged to be good neighbors and visitors on Plum Creek lands. In exchange for allowing public access for hunters and others, Plum Creek receives increased FWP warden patrols on their lands. These patrols guard against violations of hunting regulations, and violations of Plum Creek land use rules (see the attached Plum Creek open lands policy).

These rules include road restrictions, camping guidelines, and other activities such as woodcutting. In particular, a gate without a sign is a year-round closure to all motorized vehicles, whether the gate is open or closed. An open road behind a gate must specifically be marked as such by a sign. Camping is limited to 14 days per campsite. During this time, the campsite must not be left unattended for more than three consecutive days.

Copies of the Plum Creek Open Lands Policy are available at the FWP office on North Meridian Road and the Plum Creek Office on Highway 2 West.

F. H. Stoltze Lands

Hunters have also enjoyed access to F.H. Stoltze lands in northwest Montana. Stoltze maintains a block management agreement on a portion of their land with FWP that will help increase enforcement of rules and continued public access. Some of F.H. Stoltze’s key land policies are:

· Hunters must obtain permission from adjacent private landowners to access Stoltze lands

· Do not drive vehicles on gated roads

· Do not park in front of gates

· No firewood, bough or tree cutting without a permit

Please contact Stoltze Land and Lumber if you have questions: call 892-7005 during business hours. Copies of F.H. Stoltze policies are available at FWP office in Kalispell or at F.H. Stoltze in Columbia Falls.

Attached: Plum Creek Open Lands Policy for Plum Creek’s Rocky Mountain Region; F. H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company Public Notice of land use rules.

Plum Creek Land Use Policy - Rockies
Plum Cr OPENLANDPOLICY-Rockies.pdf

Stoltze Land Use Policy
Stoltze Land use policy 1.pdf