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3/2/2007
Bugle Magazine Explores Stewardship Contracting

The article, written by Greg Lemon, explores the new tools that government agencies can add to their habitat improvement toolbox. The main idea of stewardship contracting is to take the value of local timber and invest it in local habitat stewardship. In the past the value of the timber went to the federal treasury.

The article goes on to state that these agreements incorporate all aspects of active forest management. These tools are gaining support from conservation groups, the timber industry and federal agencies. They hinge on a different focus, the article stresses. They focus on what’s left in the forest, not what’s taken out.

The bottom line is that goods are exchanged for services which develop healthy forests. The goods are the logs coming off the forest; the services are anything from prescribed burns, to road obliteration, to habitat seeding.

The article goes on to describe the role that the Elk Foundation will play in this cutting edge way of developing healthy habitats. They will work in partnership with agencies to complete restoration work. The foundation will use receipts from harvest trees to pay for completing the stewardship work.

Gordy Sanders, Resource Manager at Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc., is also quoted in the article. He explains that as a non-land owning, family owned sawmill, Pyramid’s job is to implement landowners’ objectives, whether dealing with private landowners or public agencies. This is Pyramid’s benefit to society. He stated that he believes this is the most forward thinking, visionary way of doing business.

For the complete story go to the March/April 2007 issue of BUGLE MAGAZINE or go to www.elkfoundation.org and click on Montana for issues in your area. You will find a link to the Stewardship news article.