For generations, the forests of northwest Montana have been more than timberland. They have provided habitat for wildlife, working forests for local communities and places where people hunt, hike and explore. Now, state officials are working to give a large stretch of that landscape permanent protection. According to Western News and Daily Inter Lake, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has begun the second and final phase of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement, a project that could ultimately place development restrictions on 47,907 acres of private timberland in the Cabinet Mountains. The first 34,610 acres were secured in July, while another 13,297 acres are now under consideration. The proposed second phase covers timberland in the Little Thompson River, Smiley Creek and Buffalo Bill Creek drainages. Under the agreement, FWP would acquire the development rights from Green Diamond Montana Timberlands, while the company would continue to own and manage the property.That distinction is important. The land would not become a state-owned preserve, and timber operations would not end. Green Diamond would be able to continue harvesting timber under the terms of the easement, with the area currently producing about 1.6 million board feet of timber each year, according to the state’s environmental assessment. What would change is what could happen to the land in the future.
Development rights would be permanently restricted
The proposed easement would prevent Green Diamond and future owners from extensively developing or subdividing the property. At the same time, it would establish permanent public access for activities including hunting, trapping, hiking and other outdoor recreation.That builds on the first phase of the project. Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the purchase of the initial 34,610-acre Upper Thompson Conservation Easement in June, and the deal closed in July. The first phase protects wildlife habitat and landscape connectivity while allowing continued sustainable timber management. Together, the two phases would create a single 47,907-acre conservation easement across the Upper Thompson River landscape.
A multimillion-dollar second phase
The second phase has been appraised at approximately $17.1 million. Green Diamond has committed nearly $5.75 million in in-kind value, reducing the amount the state and its partners would need to raise to about $11.35 million.Funding is expected to come from a combination of sources, including the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, the Trust for Public Land, Avista, NorthWestern Energy and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust. FWP is expected to contribute about $150,000 from the state conservation trust, according to the latest proposal.The broader project has taken years to assemble. The first phase alone was supported by $13 million from the Forest Legacy Program, along with contributions from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Trust for Public Land and Green Diamond.
Why the landscape matters
The Upper Thompson area forms part of a much larger network of forests and protected lands in northwest Montana. The conservation easement is designed to maintain connections between wildlife habitats while keeping the land available as a working forest.The first phase also secured recreational access that had previously depended on voluntary arrangements. With the easement in place, public access becomes a permanent condition of the protected property rather than something that could potentially change with a future owner. The second phase is not final yet.FWP initiated the process on August 28 and is currently seeking public input. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on September 23 at Plains High School, while written comments on the proposed acquisition are being accepted until 5 p.m. on September 26.If approved and fully funded, the additional 13,297 acres would complete a conservation effort covering nearly 48,000 acres of Montana timberland, protecting its development rights while allowing the forests to remain working landscapes and keeping them open to the public.