#MTGOV DAILY RUNDOWN: Timber Industry Continues to Struggle Under Bullock

Last week Montanans were shocked and saddened by the loss of 100 timber jobs and the closure of Weyerhaeuser’s plywood and lumber mills in Columbia Falls. Unfortunately, this news is all too common in Western Montana, and problems for the Montana timber industry have only gotten worse under Governor Bullock.

100 more jobs in timber were lost in Columbia Falls last week.

“The June 22 announcement that timber giant Weyerhaeuser Company was closing two mills in Columbia Falls and eliminating 100 positions is a gruesome testament to the flagging timber industry’s struggle to regain footing in the market after decades of decline.” -Flathead Beacon, 6/28/2016

Last year, the state lost more than 500 timber jobs under the Bullock Administration.

“Altogether, Altemus [of the Montana Wood Products Association] said timber mills employ approximately 7,000 people in Montana, and 235 mill workers have been laid off this year. Another 280 jobs that were indirectly supported by the timber industry have also been lost.

“So we are down a good 500 jobs this year alone,” she said. “’That’s a pretty big loss.’” -Missoulian 10/13/2015



The biggest issue cited by most timber industry officials is a lack of supply of logs.

“I am sitting here facing the exact same decisions [as Weyerhaeuser],” [Chuck] Roady said [of FH Stoltze Company]. “We haven’t run at full-throttle since last year, and these mills are not designed to run at half-throttle. It’s just not efficient, but we don’t have the logs. And what’s most frustrating is that we are surrounded by trees. They are everywhere.” -Flathead Beacon 6/28/2016



With the difficult situation facing Montana’s timber industry, one would think that Governor Bullock would be using every tool at his disposal to help with the supply issue. However, Bullock has, so far, failed to exercise his “Good Neighbor” Authority under the federal farm bill.

“The farm bill…provides the authority for the Forest Service to enter into sole source contracts and Good Neighbor Agreements with state agencies to perform forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services, including timber sales.” Montana DNRC

“The primary goal of GNA is to provide another tool to increase the pace and scale of restoration at a watershed scale and to strengthen the partnerships between state and federal agencies to get more done across jurisdictional boundaries.”-Montana DNRC

As a strong proponent of Montana’s timber industry, Greg Gianforte believes that the governor should use every available to tool to help.

“Montana should be taking the lead in efforts to provide healthier forests and more timber for our mills. Instead, a lack of leadership in Helena has led to the lack of a Good Neighbor Agreement with the US Forest Service. The governor had tools in his tool box to help with timber jobs, and he’s failed to use them.” -Greg Gianforte, KMMS, 6/28/2016