Assessments of Best Management Practices 



adjustment in the frequency and stan- 

 dards of erosion prevention. 



Other Findings 



(1) No formalized process to conduct BMP 

 assessments exists, although assess- 

 ments are periodically conducted on 

 the Department of State Lands by their 

 hydrologist and soil scientist. 



(2) Refinements in the BMP audit process 

 are needed to remove the subjective 

 nature of the process and to tailor the 

 rating scales to better account for non- 

 point source pollution and sediment 

 delivery. 



(3) Efforts at educating loggers, equip- 

 ment operators, and sale administra- 

 tors have been initiated by the Montana 

 Logging Association and Plum Creek 

 Timber Company's Kalispell manage- 

 ment unit. A comprehensive coopera- 

 tive program of education, either 

 through instructional tapes or training 

 sessions is needed. The goal of the 

 education effort would be to reach a 

 targeted number of operators, adminis- 

 trators and sale planners throughout 

 the Basin. 



(4) BMP assessments, by themselves, are 

 unsuited for quantification of any cu- 

 mulative watershed impact, but do ad- 

 dress this problem through the funda- 

 mental assumption that if BMPs are 

 properly applied and effective, then 



cumulative watershed effects may be 

 minimized. 



Summary 



This study provided the first opportunity for 

 many Flathead Basin resource professionals 

 from both timber industry and land manage- 

 ment agencies to participate in BMP 

 assessment.The feedback we received from 

 many participants indicates that much of the 

 value of this effort was in education. The active 

 participation in the field reviews and the inter- 

 est of many individuals in the Flathead Basin is 

 important to the continued success of such 

 efforts.Only with support and encouragement 

 from the upper levels of management will pro- 

 grams such as this nonpoint source monitoring 

 project work. 



The State of Montana has committed itself 

 to the BMP field audit process in the future.The 

 problem with the state-wide effort is that it can 

 not concentrate in specific areas.The Flathead 

 Basin could only have two or three timber sales 

 evaluated in any year.The Flathead Basin de- 

 serves a more thorough evaluation than that, 

 and again, the process has great value in educa- 

 tion. The more often that equipment operators 

 and sale administrators are exposed to the audit 

 process, the better BMP application and effec- 

 tiveness will become.The Flathead Basin should 

 continue the audits annually and involve as 

 many people and interest groups in the process 

 as possible. 



Flathead Basin Cooperative Program Final Report 



Page 87 



