U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte came to Missoula Tuesday to learn how state and federal foresters are working together. 

“I’m here to listen,” the Republican Congressman and gubernatorial candidate told a group of state and federal forest managers at the U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula Technology and Development Center, near the city’s airport.

Their meeting focused on the Good Neighbor Policy. First created in 2014, it allows the Forest Service to contract with states and counties for forest management on federal and non-federal lands.

“I would say overall, here in Montana for Good Neighbor Authority, it's actually gone really well,” said Forest Service Regional Forester Leanne Marten. “We are working very well together with the state.” She said that for this year and next year, the Forest Service has 14 projects for 55 million board-feet of timber planned under the agreement.

“It's really given us the flexibility to do more restoration work on the ground for the health of the forest, the communities, jobs, economy,” she said.

 

Sonya Germann, state forester with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, called Good Neighbor Authority programs “our opportunity to lend a hand to our federal partners to get a lot of that work done.”