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APPENDIX F 

 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS 



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INTRODUCTION 



This analysis is designed to address 

 the public concerns particular to 

 economics, as listed in TABLE I-l— 

 SUMMARY AND TRACKING OF ISSUES AND 

 CONCERNS FROM PUBLIC COMMENTS of the 

 EA, and analysis elements considered 

 necessary by the ID Team. 



This analysis focuses on the 

 proposed actions and economic 

 effects of the 2 alternatives. The 

 analysis is not programmatic by 

 nature and does not provide a 

 detailed analysis of potential long- 

 term economic effects of managing 

 the area exclusively for revenue - 

 generating projects other than 

 timber management. A specific 

 proposal that included only revenue - 

 generating activities other than 

 timber management was not submitted 

 to or created by the ID Team working 

 on this project. 



The proposed timber sale project is 

 on State timberlands in Stillwater 

 State Forest. This appendix 

 analyzes the economic impacts of the 

 timber sale and focuses on market 

 activities that directly or 

 indirectly benefit the Montana 

 education system, generate revenue 

 for the school trust fund, and 

 provide funding for public 

 buildings. The Enabling Act of 

 1889, as well as the State of 

 Montana Constitution, requires that 

 income be generated from State 

 forestlands for the school and 

 public buildings trusts. The 

 analysis will center on Flathead 

 County, where most of the impacts 



related to the timber sale project 

 are likely to occur because of the 

 well developed wood-processing 

 industry, including processors at 

 all levels of production. 



ANALYSIS AREA 



FLATHEAD COUNTY 



The proposed Dog Meadow Timber Sale 

 Project is located entirely in 

 Flathead County in northwestern 

 Montana. Flathead County is the 

 fourth most populous county in 

 Montana; only Yellowstone, Missoula, 

 and Cascade counties are larger. 

 The population of Flathead County in 

 1990 was 59,218. According to the 

 U.S. Census Bureau, the population 

 of Flathead County in April 2000 was 

 74,471, an increase of 15,253 

 residents over the last 10 years, 

 implying an annual growth rate of 

 2.3 percent. The largest community 

 in the County is Kalispell, with a 

 population of over 17,000 within the 

 community, and nearly twice that 

 many in the surrounding area. The 

 second and third largest communities 

 are Whitefish and Columbia Falls 

 with populations of 6,300 and 4,300, 

 respectively. Median age in the 

 County is 37.2 years, making 

 Flathead County's population 

 slightly younger than the Montana 

 average of 37.8. 



The Montana Office of Public 

 Instruction indicates that over 

 13,000 kindergarten through grade 12 

 school children were enrolled in 

 Flathead County public schools in 

 the 2000/2001 school year. Since 



