production are concentrated as a result of factors such as climate. Sweet-cherry production is primarily 

 located to in the vicinity of Flathead Lake, where 1,200-1,400 acres are devoted principally to production 

 of the cultivar 'Lambert'. Commercial sour-cherry production in Montana tends to be restricted to the 

 Bitterroot Valley, where about 300 acres are devoted to production of the principal cultivar 

 'Montmorency'. In addition, honey production enterprises are found throughout western Montana. In 

 2005, Ravalli, Missoula and Teton Counties supported the largest number of honey bee sites in the 17- 

 county area, ranking 1-', 2"^ and 3'^^ respectively (Table 2). Rankings varied in terms of actual numbers of 

 hives, however; Ravalli, Sanders and Teton counties respectively reported the largest number of active 

 bee hives. 



Mining Industry 



Large mineral deposits, ranging from talc to gold, are located throughout western Montana. Of these, 

 metallic minerals provide the largest share of Montana's non-fuel mining income, with copper and gold 

 leading the list of important metals. Based on data compiled in 2001, western Montana supports a total of 

 91 mine sites. Thirty-two sites are valued for the metal content of the ores produced and 59 sites are 

 involved with the production of industrial or saleable commodities. Major mines whose production 

 serves markets outside of the state include three gold mines, one platinum mine, one copper/ 

 molybdenum mine, three talc mines and four limestone quarries. Production from the remaining mines 

 serves local markets and operations tend to be intermittent or seasonal. 



With the recent rise in commoditv prices, mining interest and activity in the western portion of the State 

 has increased. Within the Cabinet- Yaak area, in 2004, the Genesis Troy copper/silver mine, a subsidiary 

 of Revett Silver, resumed production. In addition, two proposed mines are currently under deliberation. 

 The proposed Rock Creek copper/silver mine would be located on the west slope of the Cabinet 

 mountain range, while the Montanore copper/silver mine, would be on the east slope. Thus, there is the 

 potential for several large scale mineral mines to become operational in the future. 



In addition to non-fuel mining, oil and gas development activity is concentrated along the Rocky 

 Mountain Front. Other potential sites for development include the North Fork of the Flathead, in British 

 Columbia, adjacent to the NCDE. 



Timber Industry 



The majority of Montana's forested lands (23 million acres) are located within the western part of the 

 state. Nearly 4 million acres of these forest lands are permanently reserved as either wilderness areas or 

 National Parks. Eleven million acres of the remaining forested land is administered by the USPS, with 5.2 

 million acres of this public estate designated by current forest plans as suitable for timber production. 

 Private forest lands occupy approximately 6 million acres, with 2 million owned and managed by timber 

 companies like Plum Creek, F. H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company and R-Y Timber. Another four 

 million acres of private forest lands are owned by some 11,000-plus private individuals. 



Within the state, total timber production over the past two decades has fallen from an annual high of 

 approximately 1.2 billion board feet (MMBF) in the mid 1980s to an estimated 700 MMBF in 2004 (Figure 

 4). The reduction can be attributed primarily to a 70% decline in timber harvested from national forests. 

 Harvests from other ownership categories have remained relatively stable during the period with much 

 of the year-to-year fluctuation driven by changing market conditions. 



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