NFS & MT FWP Gripes

[MTorBust]

During my trip to Montana, I, along with my brother, noticed some things about the NFS and MT FWP that don't seem right.

NFS
Seems to be a severe lack of service from the forestry service. One mountainside in the area we've hunted the last few years is almost completely covered with either pines with no needles or brown needles about to drop. I know the beetle damage has been severe, but have they done anything to combat it? If it's a lack of funding, they should have loggers crawling all over the mountains salvaging all they can, and with the money received from the timber harvest, they can at least put up somewhat of a fight.

Do any of the forest roads receive any kind of maintenance? I see a few ditches cleaned out, but that's hardly more than a weeks worth of work. Some roads that are listed as passable by passenger car look as though they haven't had a grader on them since they were installed decades ago. Again, if it's lack of funding, see previous comment.

Cattle--I've heard different numbers that ranchers are charged per head of cattle to graze on NFS lands. I don't know if they are true, but if they are, I see why they have no money. They seem ridiculously low. The cattle seem to do more damage to the roads and landscape than a truck or ATV would do. Why do they allow the cattle to stay in the mountains so late in the year? By the time they move back to the ranches, there is no time for the grasses to grow before winter, taking important forage from wildlife. We came across a state wildlife area that is posted as wildlife wintering range, yet the cattle were in there grazing away. I know this is not NFS land, but it's the same situation.

MT FWP
Block management is a great thing. This was the first time we hunted any of this, as we have always packed into the mountains in the past. We found some good properties. But we also found properties that are worth nothing to the hunter. A few areas were barren 100ac fields surrounded by private, not BMA lands that were also barren, not even grass stubble. So there wasn't even a windbreak or tree line to hunt. My question is, does the FWP even look at the land that they sign up for BMA, or just take the owners word that it's huntable and signing it up so they can add up the acreage? I know that a large portion of BMA is paid for by nonresidents, which I am one, and I think it's a great idea. But some of these lands are a waste of that money which could be going to owners with better, huntable land.

I know none of this will change, but I wonder how many other hunters see these same problems. Anyway, I'll still be back any chance I get.

 

[2rocky]

Let me address the cattle thing.... most FS allotments are on a rest/rotation schedule. if a pasture is a late season pasture this year it will be rested (no cattle access) the next year. Usually these pastures were empty during the spring when the feed was green and at it's peak nutrition.

On many of our late season pastures, the grass is already fully mature and fiberous before the cattle get in there. The cattle eat the woody stemmy material down, knock loose the seeds and stomp it into the dirt. These grazed off pastures are the first to green up in the spring.

If you are interested in the science, i recommend the book Holistic Resource Management by Allan Savory

A study done by Neil Rimbey at the University of Idaho looked at grazing fees for Forest Service allotments in the Western states. When compared to private land rates, the lower stocking densities, increased distance to travel, improvement costs that the rancher has no ownership of, increased predation and death loss, makes USFS grazing more expensive per animal unit month than private land rates. I looked at this in 1995, there may be more current papers since then.

Also don't confuse pasture rent for that nice flat piece of grassland to country that is steep and rugged with 1/20th of the stocking rate per acre.

 

[mdunc8]

Beetles: it's a lost cause unless you're trying to save one or two trees in your yard. There's no way the forest service, or anyone else for that matter, can go spray millions of trees in an attempt to fight off these critters. If logging were as profitable as it used to be, the mills wouldn't already be shutting down. I'm not a wildlife biologist, but I don't think the elk or other animals running around the woods would appreciate us cutting down every last tree. I also don't like the idea of transporting loads of beetle kill all over the western US.

Roads: quit whining. Most of the roads are plenty good for just about any vehicle.

Cattle - no comment

Block Management - they get paid for hunter days not enrollment. If folks don't hunt it, they don't get paid. A barren field is better than nothing.