Northwest Connections supports the active stewardship of state (DNRC) and federal forest (USFS) lands in the Swan Valley.   This stewardship includes sustainable timber harvest that helps to promote local forest-based economies, while protecting natural resources and habitat linkages .  NwC has mapped critical wildlife connections as part of the
Upper Swan Valley Landscape Assessment (PDF) in order to inform both public and private land owners of where extra care should be taken to provide for habitat connectivity.

(Visit www.swanecosystemcenter.com to access the complete Landscape Assessment document)

In order to help build support for careful timber harvest on public lands, we initiated and maintain a Multiparty Monitoring team for the first Healthy Forest Restoration Act project in the region.  The Holland-Pierce Fuels Reduction and Forest Health project in the Swan Valley is currently underway.  Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake won the bid on this stewardship contract and have hired local logging contractors in the Swan Valley to conduct the harvesting.  As part of the project, we organized a diverse team of individuals to monitor the impacts of this project.  Our plan includes pre and post-treatment monitoring of forest structure, wildlife, weeds, recreational use and community benefits.  We are currently writing a white paper on “lessons learned” through this multiparty monitoring process to share with other community groups across the West.

Click here for a link to our Monitoring Plan (PDF)

To get involved with this project, please contact Mo Hartmann at mo@northwestconnections.org