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Stillwater State Forest, Montana Department 

 of Natural Resources (DNRC) proposes the 

 Beaver Lake Timber Sale Project and several 

 potential actions relating to the Beaver Lake 

 Project area. Proposed actions include: 



timber harvesting 

 new road construction 

 surface drainage and BMP applications to 

 roads 



safety improvements on existing roads 

 development of new State-leased 

 cabinsites on Murray Lake 

 the evaluation of selling existing cabinsites 

 on Beaver Lake 



granting of temporary /permanent ease- 

 ments across State land to private or 

 corporate ownerships twi-.^!.- 



Approximately 4.5 million board feet (MMBF) 

 of timber would be harvested from about 

 1,130 acres, between 7.5 to 8.5 miles of new 

 road would be built, and between 9.5 and 12.0 

 miles of existing road would be reconstructed 

 if an action alternative was selected. 



The project area is located in the Beaver Lake 

 area, approximately 4 air miles northwest of 

 Whitefish, Montana, and includes State lands 

 in all or portions of Sections 7, 8, 16-21, 28 and 

 29, Township 31 north. Range 22 west. The 

 entire project area encompasses approxi- 

 mately 4,129 acres. (See Figure I-l, Vicinity 

 Map) 



PURPOSE 



The lands involved in the proposed project are 

 held by the State of Montana in trust for the 

 support of specific beneficiary institutions, 

 such as public schools. State colleges and 

 universities, and other specific State institu- 

 tions, such as the school for the deaf and 

 blind. Enabling Act of February 22, 1889; 1972 



Montana Constitution, Article X, Section 11. The 

 Board of Land Commissioners and DNRC are 

 required by law to administer these trust lands 

 to produce the largest measure of reasonable j 

 and legitimate return over the long run for j 

 these beneficiary institutions. Section 77-1-202, 

 Montana Codes Annotated (MCA). On May 30, ' 

 1996, DNRC released the Record of Decision ; 

 on the State Forest Land Management Plan 

 (SFLMP). The Land Board approved the 

 SFLMP's implementation on June 17, 1996. 

 The SFLMP outlines the management philoso- i 

 phy of DNRC in the management of State . 

 forested trust lands and sets out specific ' 



Resource Management Standards for 10 !' 



resource categories. '] 



The Department will manage the lands in- 

 volved according to the philosophy and ^ 

 standards in the SFLMP, which states: • 



Our premise is that the best way to , 



produce long-term income for the trust is 

 to manage intensively for healthy and ?^ .,v ; 

 biologically diverse forests. Our under- • 



standing is that a diverse forest is a 

 stable forest that will produce the most 

 reliable and highest long-term revenue | 



stream. ..In the foreseeable future, timber 

 management will continue to be our 

 primary source of revenue and our 

 primary tool for achieving biodiversity 

 objectives. 



In order to meet the goals of the management 

 philosophy adopted through a programmatic 

 review of the SFLMP DNRC has set the 

 following specific project objectives: 



• Harvest 2 to 5 MMBF of sawtimber and 

 small roundwood to generate revenue for 

 the appropriate school trusts. 



• Improve the long-term productivity of the 

 timber stands by increasing vigor, reduc- 



Chapterl: Introduction 



I-l 



