The Trust for Public Land, two state agencies, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Weyerhaeuser have teamed up to conserve over 7,000 acres of forestland near Whitefish in northwest Montana. The Flathead Beacon reported that the complex transaction called for TPL to purchase the land from Weyerhaeuser, and after the fee title purchase, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks purchased a conservation easement on the property that allows for sustainable forest management of the property. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation closed purchase of the land on Feb. 15, and will manage it as part of the Stillwater State Forest. Montana’s two senators support the deal. Listing its benefits, Sen. Jon Tester called it a “win-win-win-win-win.“ Sen. Steve Daines said, “It’s good to see federal, state and private partners come together to protect public access and timber management.”
