BLM, state, ranchers fight conifer encroachment
This article published in the Montana Standard, written by Susan Dunlap. Read the full article here.
The Bureau of Land Management, working with a variety of partners, has steadily pushed back on the line of Douglas fir marching down the mountainsides in southwest Montana. Their work is crucial for the overall health of the sagebrush grasslands that are an iconic part of the Big Sky state, say proponents.
The agencies call the issue “conifer encroachment,” a phrase which runs the danger of causing eyes to glaze over. But experts say the work is important for a host of reasons, including to mitigate climate change impacts on Montana’s water resources.
A downed Douglas fir tree rests on the landscape near the Montana-Idaho border. Officials say over 5,000 acres of both federal and state land saw some kind of effort at removing conifers this year. Photo by Meagan Thompson, The Montana Standard
“Removing these trees makes the land more resilient to a warming climate,” said Sean Claffey, Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership spokesperson for the Nature Conservancy.
Conifers suck water out of the ground as soon as the snows thaw and continue to use water late into the fall, Claffey said.
“They’re evergreen," he said.
With rivers and streams often drying up by the end of summer as temperatures continue to warm, that's a concern for the agencies.
Claffey said over 5,000 acres of both federal and state land in the region saw some kind of effort at removing conifers this year, whether in the form of prescribed burns or tree cutting.
The program to push back on the downward Douglas fir march began in 2015 for the BLM, said Pat Fosse, BLM assistant field manager.
The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group, supports the effort and hired Claffey to coordinate the different agencies involved in fighting back on conifer marches.
“It’s what the science is telling us to do,” Claffey said. “And it’s not just good for the wildlife but also for maintaining sagebrush grasslands for livestock.”
The cost of the program has been roughly $480,000 so far, said Fosse.
But ranchers Eric and Stephanie Hansen, who have lived at the base of Medicine Hat peak for most of their lives, say it’s worth it.
Above photo; Stephanie Hansen and her husband Eric smile from the frame of a photo taken decades ago against the backdrop of Medicine Lodge Mountain where the couple ranches near the Montana-Idaho border southwest of Dillon. Photos by Meagan Thompson, The Montana Standard
Stephanie Hansen said since the work began, she’s seen Monarch butterflies flit on their property again.
“I haven’t seen them in forever,” Stephanie Hansen said.
Monarch butterflies are in trouble, mostly due to the disappearance of habitat they need for their life cycle. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering putting Monarch butterflies on the Endangered Species List.
Land health
Claffey said since 1950, nearly a million new conifers have sprung up on Beaverhead and Madison counties across both public and private land.
“Trees are slow-growing,” he said. “Over time, to the naked eye, they don’t stand out as a huge problem but when you look back at old photos, you can see they’ve expanded enormously.”
That isn’t just bad for the butterflies or the sage grouse or water resources, according to Claffey. It’s also bad for mule deer habitat, elk habitat and moose…