Transforming Forests: How the Libby Surround Joint Chiefs’ Project is Making a Difference
Forest health and productivity are concerns across Montana. NRCS assistance helps many private landowners to implement conservation practices to address forest health that may also positively impact wildfire risk.
In the beautiful and rugged landscape of Libby, Montana, a groundbreaking cross-boundary project is changing the way forests are managed and protected. The Libby Surround Joint Chiefs’ project—a collaborative effort by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Forest Service, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)—is making significant strides in reducing wildfire risks while revitalizing local forests.
By working together, agencies and private non- industrial landowners are not only protecting surrounding communities from the threat of catastrophic wildfires but improving wildlife habitats. Through targeted practices like forest stand improvement, woody residue treatment, and fuel breaks, they’re reshaping the future of these forests—and with it, the safety and health of the entire region.
A Plan for a Safer and Healthier Forest
The real story of the Libby Surround Joint Chiefs’ project began in 2021 when the NRCS, Forest Service, and DNRC recognized an urgent need to address fire risks in the Libby area, especially coming out of multiple drought years. By 2022, they secured funding to kick off an ambitious plan. The primary goal was to reduce fire hazards and improve the health of the forest, benefiting both the land and the surrounding communities.
NRCS District Conservationist Brian Ressel, explains, “This area was a priority because it connects to other properties and planned units by the Forest Service. It was crucial to address fire risks here because it has a ripple effect on the surrounding area. When we work together, we lower the risk for the entire region, not just one property.”
The project focused on two main tasks: thinning out unhealthy and diseased trees and managing the resulting slash. Thinning involved removing the overabundance of understory trees, which were crowding out healthier ones and increasing fire risk. By opening the canopy to between 150 and 200 trees per acre, the team’s goal was to create a healthier and more resilient forest.
Trees removed were either taken off site and utilized for forest products or treated through a combination of methods such as piling and burning, mastication, or chipping. This allowed for a reduction in the total fuel load on individual sites with the goal of lowering the risk of high intensity wildfire.
Landowners Join the Effort
Local landowners—Jeremy Rank and Nate Cernick as well as others— have played a crucial role in this partner-rich project. Each had their own unique reasons for getting involved and has seen significant benefits from their participation.
Rank is not only a landowner, he’s also a Service Forester with the DNRC. His day job involves helping others manage their land, and he brings this expertise to his own property here in the Libby Surround area. Rank’s involvement in the Libby Surround project came through the Lincoln County Fire Safe Council, where he and other local experts, including Ressel, have worked together to identify critical areas for forest management.
“Jeremy has seen both sides of our program because he helped us administer some of it. Writing the management plans and evaluating the properties,” Ressel says.
“I like it because now I can explain to landowners, ‘Hey this is what the NRCS EQIP program is like. This is how it functions. This is the paperwork that needs filling out,’ because I did it,” Rank says, adding, “And I think that’s pretty valuable to the landowners.” EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, is an NRCS program landowners can get involved in to receive financial and technical assistance with resource improvement projects on their land.
Rank purchased his property eight years ago, knowing that it hadn’t been managed in about 50 years, with the last intensive harvest in 1925. That’s when it went from lumber hands to private ownership. Most of the trees on his property are thought to be about one hundred years old. He originally signed up to treat three acres of land under EQIP, and five years ago he did five more acres under a county program to see what that was like.
“You could tell that there was a good potential here, but just too much competition. Kind of like if you had your garden and you planted it and you went away for the summer,” Rank says. “You wouldn’t have a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. You’d have a lot of weeds. Everything you’d planted would be dead. Because without management you get what nature gives you.” Nature historically took care of itself by allowing wildfires to manage the land up until the early 1900s. Once fire was taken out of the equation, there’s been no natural land management tool to take its place, leading to the extensive overgrowth we see now.
For Rank, the project’s impact was both practical and profound. Rank’s own property benefited greatly from the thinning and slash treatment. The forest is now more open, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. This promotes healthy understory growth and provides better habitat for wildlife. Rank also emphasizes the importance of ongoing management. “It’s not just about the initial treatment. Now you have to keep managing the land to prevent issues from cropping up again,” he explains.
Cernick, who bought his 40-acre property in 2012, had already been working on improving his land when the opportunity to join the thinning project came up and the financial assistance allowed him to speed up his efforts.
“There’s been a couple of dry years and drought years, and I think some of the trees have been somewhat stressed,” Ressel says, “especially the spruce, which like the moisture.” Most of the trees that have been removed are Douglas fir, while they are favoring ponderosa pine and larch.
Through the Joint Chiefs’ Libby Surround project, Cernick has been able to treat 24 additional acres.
“I wanted to make the forest healthier and reduce the fire risk,” Cernick says. “Before the project, the property was really thick and overgrown. The grant helped with thinning out diseased and damaged trees, which was exactly what I needed.”
Cernick says he continues to chip away as he can. He also plans to build a shop on the property. So, he’s been taking the bigger logs to his mill.
“It’s cool when somebody for these projects actually uses the wood and it doesn’t just go onto a burn pile,” Ressel says.
Cernick appreciated the support he received from Ressel and the other state foresters. “Working with Brian and the team felt like a partnership. They provided valuable guidance and helped with the paperwork,” Cernick says. “They didn’t just tell me what to do. They worked with me to create a management plan that fit my goals.”
Cernick’s forest is healthier than before. The improved conditions are not only better for the environment but also for abundant wildlife. Cernick hopes to pass on the importance of forest management to future generations. “It’s essential to teach kids about maintaining healthy forests,” he says. “We need to be proactive and manage our lands to prevent catastrophic fires.”
The Community Impact
The impact of the Libby Surround Joint Chiefs’ project extends beyond individual properties. By working together, the NRCS, Forest Service, DNRC, and local landowners have created a network of managed forests that collectively reduce fire risks for the entire area. This collaborative approach is crucial for protecting homes, firefighters, and the broader community.
Ressel highlights the project’s larger importance, “The Joint Chiefs’ project isn’t just about individual landowners. It’s about creating a safer environment for the entire community. When we get enough people involved, we can create a barrier that helps protect against fires coming from other areas.”
One of the project highlights is in an area known as clay banks, just east of Libby. Here, cross boundary efforts have led to a five-linear-mile block of planned and completed treatments between private, state, and Forest Service ownerships. This portion of Libby Surround constitutes a significant step forward in reducing the risk to the community from fire approaching from the east.
Looking Ahead
While the original funding for the Joint Chiefs’ Libby Surround project is nearing its end, there’s exciting news. The project has been extended with a Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP). This extension will provide more opportunities for landowners to get involved and continue to fill in the treatment gaps surrounding the town, adding to the continuity of work already completed.
Rank and Cernick are just two examples of how the project has made a difference. Their experiences show the value of working together and the tangible benefits of well-managed forests. The Joint Chiefs’ project has become somewhat of an example for how collaborative efforts can lead to lasting positive change.
“The program got me off the center. I would’ve picked away over time. But it’s hard and it’s slow,” Rank says. “Having the timeframe with the EQIP program. I said all right now’s the time to do it. Let’s get it done. There’s no better opportunity.”
As the project moves forward, it will continue to offer valuable opportunities for landowners to contribute to a broader, community-wide effort. The work done in Libby clearly shows the positive impact that conservation programs can have for other areas looking to address similar challenges.
Ressel points out that homeowners are sometimes hesitant to go to the lengths someone like Rank has with his thinning even though it looks beautiful now that it’s done. “A lot of people, especially new residents, have this picture of, ‘I don’t want to lose my forest, or it won’t be a forest when you’re done,’ so they only want to go part of the way or halfway.”
Rank responds to landowners this way: “You need your own elbow room for your health and wellbeing. That tree needs its own elbow room for its health and wellbeing. I look up and see that crown. However, that crown extends its elbow room that it needs, and anything else that impedes on that space has got to go.”
The Libby Surround Joint Chiefs’ Project has proven to be more than just a successful conservation effort. It’s an example of dedicated agencies and determined individuals who’ve made the choice to act on protecting our natural resources. Through teamwork and commitment, this project is clearing the way for a brighter, safer future for the forests and the people and wildlife who depend on them.