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The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) located in Plains has a long-range plan that was compiled and updated at their October 2022 meeting. “We will be having another meeting sometime in 2024,” Dillon Martini at the Plains office said. The report covers all of Sanders County and includes information from land ownership to the prioritized projects for NRCS’s financial incentive programs. The report looks at population growth in Sanders County and its effects on water usage, soil concerns and forestry.

The plan combines local and regional partnerships and outlines strategic approaches to solving complex natural resource issues. It will review characteristics and issues found throughout Sanders County and surrounding areas. Updates will be done perennially or biennially, according to Martini. The object is to manage resources on private lands. Last year at the October meeting new objectives were formulated.

The most prevalent issues were forestry related pertaining to fire prevention, controlling outbreaks of insects and diseases, and root diseases. All trees can be affected by root disease but Grand fir and Douglas fir species are the most common. “The ideal plan would be to remove those affected trees and plant hardier species such as ponderosa pine, white pine, and larch,” Martini said. Other issues common to Sanders County are the noxious weeds. The local county Extension office can help with identifying and removing invasive species of weeds, or contact Martini.

Partners in the overall plan include NRCS and a long list of private and government agencies that can be found in the report, available on the NRCS MT focus conservation website. According to Martini, the plan and reports including area maps, charts and graphs are available with information on land ownership, water usage, river environments, regional soils and the geology of soils and vegetation, land management, and agriculture. “Working with partners to address multiple resource benefits is a key goal of the Plains NRCS field office,” according to the NRCS report.

For more information contact Martini in the Plains NRCS office at (406) 826-3701.