Forest Fest connects community with nature

The festival for forest activities was held for the second year at the Mule Pasture in Thompson Falls, Saturday, October 7.

"This is our second year of having this festival here," Juli Thurston of the MSU Extension Office said. Thurston said they scheduled it later this year hoping to accommodate more people. Education stations were set up and demonstrations were held for anyone interested in learning more about forestry, land use and management that included private land ownership. "We want it to be a fun educational day for families to come and learn about and enjoy the outdoors," Thurston said.

The Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group gave out information on the area they cover. "The Lower Clark Fork Watershed is vital to the wellbeing of everyone who lives, works, and recreates in it. Everyone can help in the protection and restoration of this valuable resource," Jason Blakney of Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks stated in the informational brochure. The group consists of an area nearly as big as Sanders County. It starts northwest of Heron near the town of Clark Fork, Idaho, and travels south as far as Paradise. The area encompasses Prospect Creek and Thompson River. Sara Busmire, watershed coordinator, and Daniel Holder from the Big Sky Watershed Corporation, were happy to be at the fest and hand out information. Busmire has contact information. "It has been a great day. There have been a few people off and on to check out our information," Busmire said.

Other information regarding wildland use included Sanders County Cube Iron/Cataract region. The Cube Iron/Cataract Coalition has a community vision for the local backcountry. This region covers wildland areas that run north and south on the east side of the Clark Fork River, ranging from Vermillion River down to the Thompson River.

Hiking information and backcountry horse travel and packing demonstrations were conducted. A mule and two horses modeled panyards and pack saddles for learning how to properly pack for the backcountry. Knot tying demonstrations were given by David Crawford from Sanders County Backcountry Horsemen, for securing items wrapped in canvas bags. Other safety information was available. Bear identification and being prepared in the wilderness for encounters or how to prevent them, was given by Jennifer Wissman from Fish Wildlife and Parks.

Forestry expert Peter Kolb gave a talk on tree management for landowners and recognizing a healthy tree versus a tree that should be cut down. He covered tree regeneration and post fire rehabilitation. "Larch and ponderosa pines have a defense mechanism," Kolb said. These trees may appear to be dying but can recover. Other species of evergreens do not have the same ability, he added. "When the tops of a ponderosa pine turn brown don't assume that it needs to be cut down. If left alone it will take a break much like humans fasting," Kolb said. This helps to boost the metabolism and immune system of the tree. The ponderosas have a small heartwood inner circle, or core. They are able to withstand drier conditions that occur in the southeastern part of the county. The Plains area gets an annual precipitation of about 16 inches. Thompson Falls accumulates a bit more at 18 to 20 inches annually.

Ponderosas can live to 700 years. Larch can live longer. Seeley Lake has a 1,000 year old Larch tree named Gus, Kolb said. Kolb has a tree cookie from a larch trunk that he cut down on his property . The tree is several hundred years old. Kolb used this cookie to demonstrate tree growth and conditions. The tree survived forest fires and poor weather conditions. Its rings show the good years with bigger spaces between them, and the not so good years, with narrow spacing between the rings.

Kolb said forest growth is important whether it be on private property or in the wild. We can manage the trees to prevent loss through fires or bug kill. We can selectively thin trees to keep the forests healthy and prolific. "Some trees spread their seeds farther than others," he added.

The Land Trust Alliance in Washington, D.C., is another resource for preserving and protecting the land, Kolb said.. They are working with landowners to help in the conservation of land and its use. They help with options such as easements and preservation from developers.

"Unfortunately this year's event did not have as many people as last year's," Thurston said. She hopes to get the information out sooner next year and have a day scheduled that will allow more people to attend. "We were thinking about having it in June before everyone gets busy for the summer," both Mosher and Thurston said.

For information on these services or to find out more about future forest festivals in Sanders County contact Juli Thurston at the MSU County Extension office, (406) 827-6934.

Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group contact information: Sarah Busmire (406) 203-4725 email address, [email protected].