Missoula Area Forest Resources Spring 2025 Fact Sheet Released
Please click the image below for a downloadable version of the fact sheet.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2025
Contacts:
Chad Bauer
(406) 543-6623, chad@missoulachamber.com
President and CEO, Missoula Chamber of Commerce
Erin Clark
(406) 763-8884, erin.clark@mtforests.com
Co-chair, Missoula Chamber Forest Resources Committee
Zachary Bashoor
(406) 369-5162, zbashoor@mtforests.com
Co-chair, Missoula Chamber Forest Resources Committee
MISSOULA AREA FOREST RESOURCES SPRING 2025 FACT SHEET RELEASED
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Missoula Chamber of Commerce’s Forest Resources Committee today released a spring 2025 forest resources fact sheet summarizing current challenges and opportunities facing the forest resources industry in Missoula County. The last three years have seen rapid changes in local forest resources infrastructure, recognition of the value of wildfire risk reduction services for our communities provided by the forest resources industry, and forest project costs and timelines. The fact sheet highlights these changes in combination with forest values, community benefits, local business perspectives, and existing opportunities.
The Chamber’s Forest Resources committee invested in the production of this fact sheet because the changes our forest resources industry is experiencing can be felt throughout our Missoula area communities and this has resulted in increased inquiries, demand for detailed information, and interest in exploring innovative solutions to keep this industry healthy and contributing across western Montana. Challenges illuminated by the fact sheet include reduction of ponderosa pine processing capacity in our region, recent production facility closures, increasing demand to manage our forests to reduce wildfire risk, rising project costs, and the loss of high-quality local jobs. The fact sheet also illuminates the contributions of our local forest resources industry - from jobs to financial support for public schools to climate mitigation.
Sean Steinebach, Sun Mountain Lumber’s communications and outreach forester, provided information for the factsheet about the changing local markets for residual bark and chips, helping the factsheet to “highlight both the challenges and enduring value provided by our forest resources industry. The fact sheet reflects what many of us see on the ground–an industry that is adapting, innovating, and continuing to play a vital role in wildfire risk reduction, local employment, and community well-being. It’s a powerful reminder that supporting sustainable forest management means investing in the long-term health of both our landscapes and our local economies.”
Cindy Super, Blackfoot Challenge’s forestry and prescribed fire coordinator, contributed a non-profit and private landowner perspective to the fact sheet’s creation. “When a landowner wants to do fuel reduction work on their property, it's critical to have folks who know how to do the work and market options for any material generated. This work is expensive, and most often does not generate enough revenue to pay for itself. Losing our local secondary processing infrastructure has made doing this work far less efficient and extremely expensive. Maintaining this infrastructure within local communities and expanding it to efficiently utilize small diameter wood is critical to the success of a hazardous forest fuels reduction program."
The Forest Resources Committee of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce contains representatives from more than a dozen local forest resource businesses, non-profit organizations, and local management agencies. Chad Bauer, Executive Director of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, supported the committee in producing the fact sheet and expressed that, “The Missoula Chamber hopes that the fact sheet invites positive dialogue about the importance of our forest resources, opportunities that our community can seize to keep this industry healthy, and creates a renewed awareness of the forest resources industry as a keystone of the history and fabric of our Missoula County communities.”
Erin Clark, co-chair of the Missoula Chamber’s Forest Resources Committee and Director of Strategic Development and Partnerships at Montana Forest Consultants emphasized that, “Our area’s forest resources have provided for our communities for generations in ways that range from economic prosperity to recreation opportunities to clean air and water. Keeping our forest resources healthy is important to everyone who calls Missoula home.”
The fact sheet is available on the Missoula Chamber of Commerce website at missoulachamber.com and print copies are available at the Missoula Chamber office at 825 E. Front Street from 9-5am Monday through Friday.
The Forest Resources Committee thanks the following fact sheet contributors: Sun Mountain Lumber Company, Arno Forestry, Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, Missoula BLM Field Office, U.S. Forest Service Region 1, and Montana DNRC.
The Missoula Chamber of Commerce mission is to preserve and advance the quality of life in Missoula by advocating for a healthy, responsible, and diverse business environment and by providing resources that help businesses succeed. The Missoula Chamber has been serving the Missoula area since 1904. The Chamber is committed to the success of local businesses by staying abreast of relevant issues and facilitating the flow of vital information among its more than 650 members.
The Missoula Chamber’s Forest Resources Committee brings together forest resources-focused businesses, non-profits, and land management agency partners to discuss forest and natural resource management in the Missoula area. The committee coordinates an annual Forestry Tour. The Missoula Chamber also hosts agri-business and young professionals committees.
Erin Clark
Strategic Development & Partnerships Director
Montana Forest Consultants Inc.
406-763-8884
