Stimson Lumber reps discuss forest management

Stimson Lumber Co. representatives showed plans for a conservation easement and dispelled rumors of having a new mill in Libby at a meeting last week with the Society of American Foresters.

Barry Dexter, director of inland resources at Stimson Lumber Co., said it will take about 10 to 15 years until the newer trees in the county can be harvested.

The land here is very well timbered and has been managed by good foresters, but the timber is small, he said. “To think that 95,000 acres is going to bring a mill, it’s just not realistic.”

Once there is a steady reliable flow of timber, then there could be a mill in Libby, he said. But to support a mill, Stimson Lumber needs at least a quarter of a million acres of timber.

“A mill will come back to Libby someday, it really will,” he said. “The town needs one more than anywhere else.”

Libby is a good place to grow trees, he added.

A new conservation easement will ensure the land stays healthy and suitable for future harvesting. For the best result, timber should be grown to its economic maturity, he said.

“If you cut it too soon, you’re really kind of short-changing yourself,” he said.

The land for the easement, along the Pipe Creek Road, is being appraised and should be in place by the end of this year, Dexter said. The easement would also help protect endangered species. Part of the goal in planning an easement boundary is to also leave roads accessible to the public, he said.

Bruce Rowland, an area woodlands manager with Stimson Lumber, said they will not be closing any roads. Nothing will be changed and people will still be able to access the land.

Other timberland owners are not always transparent, he contended, but “we’re a pretty open book.”

The land will be maintained as a working forest, he said.

Stimson Lumber haspurchased roughly 65,000 acres in Lincoln County over the past couple of years. Their holdings in the county, totaling 95,000 acres, has trees primarily on the younger side.

“Our management style is to grow trees,” Rowland said.