KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) - The new owner of large tracts of Montana timber land does not intend to break longstanding access agreements allowing people to use the lands for hunting and fishing, officials said.
Georgia-based Southern Pine Plantations Inc. completed a purchase on March 26 of 984 square miles (2,549 square kilometers) from Washington state timber giant Weyerhaeuser Co., The Flathead Beacon reports.
The new owner said it has no intention of changing historic public access, particularly in its oversight of one of the largest private parcels under an annual block management agreement with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department for about 922 square miles (2,388 square kilometers).
Weyerhaeuser’s block management contract is set to expire at the end of May, but Southern Pine Plantations Vice President Pat Patton said his company plans to renew the agreement with Montana.
“I don’t plan to cancel the open lands policy. We had the opportunity to cancel it and we decided to re-enroll in the block management agreement,” Patton said.
Weyerhaeuser sold the land for $145 million in cash. Speculation was rampant about whether parcels would be sold off for development.
Southern Pine plans to begin harvesting timber in the next month and hired the foresters, hydrologists and administrative staff at Weyerhaeuser offices in Libby and Kalispell, except for several employees who retired.
Weyerhaeuser said its three manufacturing facilities in Montana will not be affected by the sale announced in December.
“We’re proud to continue supporting Montana communities through our mills and other local operations,” Weyerhaeuser CEO Devin W. Stockfish said.
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