Montana protects 34,610 acres; next phase could create 47,907-acre corridor
Montana state officials have secured a conservation easement for 34,610 acres of timberland, with plans to expand the protected corridor to nearly 48,000 acres. The agreement restricts future development while allowing the current owner to continue sustainable timber harvesting and ensuring public access for recreation.
Why it matters
This project demonstrates a collaborative model for land management that balances private economic activity with environmental conservation and public land access.
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.
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