Forestry
Nov 09, 2022
Forestry Infrastructure: Sustaining Montana's Forests and the Timber Products Industry
Blog Category: Forestry
Maintaining healthy forests in Montana is the ultimate goal of the forest products industry. Despite strong efforts to restore our forests to diverse, healthy, and resilient ecosystems, there is still more that needs to be done. It takes a village to create a healthy forest, and having a robust sawmill...
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Aug 17, 2022
Forest to Flooring: Making Wood Products Even More Sustainable
Blog Category: Forestry
At the forefront of our attempts to find the most environmentally friendly building materials are wood products. Wood, unlike its concrete and steel alternatives, is a renewable resource that stores carbon even after it is manufactured and turned into finished wood products. Its manufacturing process has also been found to...
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Jul 20, 2022
Forest Health and Human Intervention
Blog Category: Forestry
“I think people philosophically question whether man has a role in managing forests or if letting nature take its way is the best route. The reality is that we live in forests now. We have our cities and towns and homes [in the forests], and the forests have changed based...
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Jun 22, 2022
How Forest Managers Actively Help Minimize Impact on the Forest Floor
Blog Category: Forestry
There tends to be a general misconception about what really goes on on the forest floor during logging activities. So much of the propagated narrative pushes the idea that all management is bad either because it is not done for the right reason or with the right kind of planning...
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May 25, 2022
The Forest Products Industry: Providing Necessary Support for Active Forest Management
Blog Category: Forestry
The connection between forest management and the timber products industry is often misunderstood by the public. We all know that sawmills need trees to produce goods. But did you know that trees also need the timber products industry? While this may seem counterintuitive, the reality is that the manufacturing of...
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Apr 13, 2022
How Active Forest Management Can Aid in Carbon Sequestration
Blog Category: Forestry, Sustainable Lumber Practices
Active forest management is an excellent way to minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfires, protect air and water quality, and provide sustainable wood products. But did you know it can also help remove carbon from our atmosphere? This process, called carbon sequestration, is a natural system of removing carbon...
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Feb 23, 2022
After the Fire: The Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires
Blog Category: Forestry
Over the past year, catastrophic wildfires have wreaked havoc on the Western United States and across the world. These large-scale forest fires are a danger to society and the land, threatening lives, homes, and the entire forest ecosystem. Despite popular belief, high-intensity wildfires are not a new phenomenon. Catastrophic...
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Jan 26, 2022
Sustainable Forest Management in Action at the Sterling Ranch
Blog Category: Forestry, Sustainable Lumber Practices
In this video, Marks Lumber profiles John Ottman of Ottman Forestry Consultant, discussing his largest endeavor as a private forestry consultant - a 26-year project known as the Sterling Ranch. Located in Wolf Creek, MT, the Sterling Ranch Company is made up of four enterprises: the ranch, timber, hunting and...
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Jan 12, 2022
What is Sustainably Harvested Wood?
Blog Category: Forestry
Wood products are on the rise, not only because of their natural beauty but also because they are naturally sustainable. Wood products are one of the only renewable materials, giving it the upper hand over man-made materials such as steel and concrete. Additionally, trees and wood products both sequester...
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Nov 24, 2021
Ottman Forestry and the Sterling Ranch
Blog Category: Forestry
John Ottman, Founder of Ottman Forestry Consultants, has worked in the woods for nearly 40 years - learning, educating, protecting, and advocating for our forests. Ottman graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Resource Management in 1979 and hit the ground running shortly after. His fifteen...
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Nov 17, 2021
Forest Health Defined
Blog Category: Forestry
What is a healthy forest? The phrase “healthy forest” is used so often in literature and propaganda surrounding forest management decisions, that this may seem like a simple question. However, a strong, scientific definition is merely glossed over, leaving the general public to assume their own meaning. Additionally, people...
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Oct 27, 2021
Marks Lumber Receives the Governor’s Inaugural Forest Products Award
Blog Category: Forestry
Last week, Marks Lumber was honored to be presented the Governor’s inaugural Forest Products Award. Governor Greg Gianforte created the Forest Products Award in 2021 to help encourage and abide by our commitment to actively manage forests in Montana. According to Governor Gianforte, the award recognizes “an individual or...
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Oct 20, 2021
Creating and Managing Healthy Forests: A Video for Montana Forest Products Week
Blog Category: Forestry, Sustainable Lumber Practices
This week, October 17-23, is Montana Forest Products Week. Established in 2011, Forest Products Week is dedicated to honoring the forest products industry and extending its appreciation for providing gainful employment and stewardship of our public and private forests. In celebration, Marks Lumber presents “Creating and Managing Healthy Forests,” the...
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Aug 25, 2021
On the Ground: The Forester's Role in Forest Management Decisions
Blog Category: Forestry, Lumber Process, Sustainable Lumber Practices
"The profession of forestry serves society by fostering stewardship of the world's forests. Because forests provide valuable resources and perform critical ecological functions, they are vital to the well-being of both society and the biosphere." - The Society of American Foresters. Foresters dedicate their entire careers to learning how to...
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Mar 24, 2021
The Good Neighbor Authority: A Step in the Right Direction for Montana Forest Management
Blog Category: Forestry, Marks News & Events
"Our forests give us countless benefits: clean drinking water, millions of jobs, recreation opportunities, and more. Keeping these benefits requires forest management – and no one group can do it alone." - The U.S. Forest Service. Forest management and fire mitigation are essential components of creating long-lasting, healthy, resilient forests...
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Dec 23, 2020
Montana’s Best Management Practices: Protecting Water Quality and the Entire Forest Ecosystem
Blog Category: Forestry
Water is one of our most precious natural resources, which is why protecting and maintaining our water quality is so important. The current rise in catastrophic wildfires across the country is beginning to threaten our water quality as ash settles into streams, and vegetation surrounding waterways is burned away...
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Nov 25, 2020
The Brooklyn Bridge Project: A Case Study
Blog Category: Forestry, Marks News & Events
In March 2020, Marks Lumber entered into an important public-private partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) – one that will preserve the safety and enjoyment of the Brooklyn Bridge area just outside Helena. Located south of Helena near the town...
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Oct 21, 2020
Responsible Forestry for a Healthier Montana
Blog Category: Forestry, Marks News & Events
This week, October 18th - 24th, is Montana Forest Products Week, which recognizes the forest products industry as a significant contributor to Montana forests and communities. In celebration of this, Marks Lumber presents the inaugural video of our ongoing multimedia educational series. In this series, we’ll be demonstrating the integral...
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