Closing the Gaps – The Magone Reforestation Project

Greg Magone is a Whitefish native and grew up in the Flathead Valley. In 2018, he and his wife Stephanie purchased a 20-acre property in West Valley near Lore Lake. Although once heavily forested, the previous landowner had cleared large swaths of the forest on Greg and Stephanie’s property with the intention of providing access to adjacent lands and for construction of a road that was never built. There were now large gaps in the forest landscape and disturbance from heavy equipment. The Magones decided that they wanted to return the property to a more natural state, and actively manage the land as a healthy forest and working tree farm.

Greg and Stephanie were aware of the Flathead Conservation District (FCD) because growing up they both participated in conservation-related school activities and education programs. As new property owners with knowledge of conservation and land management practices, they began exploring landowner assistance programs available from FCD and seeking technical assistance. During the planning phases, they met with the FCD Resource Conservationist and an FCD Board Supervisor on site to discuss the current conditions and potential project. They dug into the soil, looked at the condition of the surrounding forest, and determined that there was potential to reforest the cut swaths and benefit many natural resources.

“I recently enrolled the forest land with the American Tree Farm System as an official tree farm, and I consider the property to be a working forest. Trees help clean air, reduce soil temperature, improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide habitat for small and large animals. They are also aesthetically pretty and planting the trees will reduce the visual impact of the cut swaths of forest.” – Greg Magone

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The Magones worked with FCD and other agency representatives, several local foresters, and a local consulting firm to develop a detailed plan for reforestation and long-term forest stewardship. The Magone Family Tree Farm Forest Stewardship Plan identified the types of forest stands and condition of the natural resources on the property, and guided the landowners on selection of tree species for reforestation and forest management. The reforestation project was broken down into three phases: (1) Control the weeds and prepare the sites for planting, (2) Plant seedlings and protect them from browsing wildlife, (3) Maintain the site to ensure the seedlings are protected and competition from weeds is minimized until established.

With their plan in place, the Magones applied for financial assistance from FCD to purchase and plant 500 tree seedlings for reforestation of two acres on their property. They were awarded a Conservation Grant, which is a program that provides up to 75% cost-share funding for projects that benefit natural resources in Flathead County. They purchased locally adapted, source-identified seedlings from the University of Idaho Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery, and planted in the spring of 2019 and 2020. Thanks to careful site preparation, browse protection, and maintenance, the seedlings have shown excellent survival so far. There is still more work to be done because the seedlings are young and will require attention and maintenance until they have established and become self-sustaining. Overall, they are pleased with the project, which would not have happened without funding from the FCD Conservation Grant Program.

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If you are aware of problems with the natural resources on your land, and are interested in assistance to solve the problems, resources may be available to help. FCD offers consultation and technical assistance, landowner assistance programs, and access to other assistance and grant programs. Stop by the office, browse our website, or give us a call!