I don’t really get too excited about natural resource issues, although there are some folks who take the management of forest service lands very personally. In fact, the Federal government created the U.S. Forest Service way back in 1905 which, according to their website, “is entrusted with 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands.”

That’s a lot of land and the people who use this land all have ideas about how to best take care of it.

Montana is home of the “Northern Region” Forest Service headquarters and their office is in a federal building in Missoula. There are a bunch of people who work there (a bunch). I have been in that federal building several times. The first time I visited the building I got lost, and I walked around for what seemed like days. It was cubicle hell. The same thing happened the second and third time until I marked my trail so I could follow it in and out. Luckily they had vending machines that helped me survive the ordeal. I should have received a medal or something…

U.S. Senator Jon Tester, D–Mont., and Congressman Steve Daines R-Mont., both have ideas on how to best manage our forest lands.  Continue reading →