Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on Tuesday announced their support for a new U.S. Forest Service management plan covering three major national forests in the state, a move officials say will bolster the timber industry and advance forest health across millions of acres.
What the Plan Covers
The Montana Tri-Forest Federal Sustained-Yield Unit plan coordinates management across the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Custer Gallatin, and Helena-Lewis and Clark national forests. Under the framework, leadership from all three forests will work together to advance restoration and timber harvests, with wood products processed within the unit’s boundaries.
During the first ten-year action period, the plan calls for a combined timber volume offering of 300 to 500 million board feet — a scale that state officials say will provide meaningful, sustained support for Montana’s wood products industry while reducing the conditions that fuel large wildfires.
The announcement was made in Missoula on June 24, with DNRC Director Amanda Kaster and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz participating alongside Governor Gianforte.
State-Federal Partnership
The tri-forest plan builds on a Shared Stewardship Agreement that Montana and the Forest Service signed in 2025, which laid the groundwork for closer coordination on federal land management and restoration priorities. The DNRC has continued to work alongside the Forest Service through the Good Neighbor Authority program, which allows state agencies to perform restoration work on federal land.
Gianforte has made active forest management a consistent policy priority, arguing that reducing fuel loads through timber harvest is essential to protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire. The new coordinated plan represents one of the more ambitious federal-state land management efforts undertaken in recent years across the Northern Rockies.
“This is a key step to strengthen forest management and the infrastructure we rely on to keep our forests healthy and resilient,” Gianforte said.
Kaster tied the timber and ecological goals together directly, saying “healthy forests and healthy wood products infrastructure go hand in hand.”
Policy Context
Montana has long pressed federal land managers to increase timber harvest levels on national forests within the state, citing both economic benefits to rural communities and the need to thin overgrown stands that are vulnerable to insects, disease, and fire. The tri-forest plan’s sustained-yield structure is designed to give mills and logging contractors a more predictable long-term supply — a concern the industry has raised repeatedly as federal timber sales have fluctuated over the years.
The Gianforte administration has pursued a range of state-federal coordination tools, including Good Neighbor Authority contracts, to move restoration work forward without waiting solely on federal agency timelines. Expanding those partnerships has been central to the governor’s approach to public lands policy. His administration has also pushed back against outside groups seeking to restrict land-use and wildlife management practices in Montana, signaling a broader posture of defending state prerogatives on natural resource questions.
With wildfire seasons growing longer and more destructive across the West, the political case for active management has gained ground in both Helena and Washington. The Trump administration’s Forest Service, under Chief Schultz, has signaled greater openness to increasing harvest targets on federal land, giving state officials a willing partner for agreements like the tri-forest plan.
What Comes Next
The initial ten-year action period will serve as the operational phase for the sustained-yield unit, with harvest volumes offered across all three forests on a coordinated schedule. State and federal officials are expected to continue refining implementation details, including how restoration contracts and timber sales will be sequenced to maximize both ecological and economic outcomes.
The DNRC will remain an active partner through Good Neighbor Authority agreements, allowing the state to continue hands-on involvement in federal forest work. With the 2025 Shared Stewardship Agreement providing the legal and policy foundation, officials indicated the tri-forest framework is intended to be durable beyond a single administration or federal leadership team.
