Forest Service Chief Addresses Montana Governor's Letter.
The Chief says the release of the letter injected uncertainty in the process.
Chief Moore has penned a letter reassuring employees that progress is being made in the ongoing saga between the State Governors in the Northern Rockies and the Forest Service. Specifically addressing Montana Governor Greg Gianforte's letter, the Chief says he has personally spoken to the Governor, and the public letter he released has only created uncertainty in the process.
The Chief also backs up Region 1 Regional Forester Leanne M. Marten, who has held that position since June 2015. The Region 1 Regional Forester oversees northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and the northwest portion of South Dakota.
Marten has been with the Forest Service for over 30 years. Before taking the Regional Forester position in the Northern Rockies, she was the National Director for Ecosystem Management Coordination for the U.S. Forest Service in its national headquarters based in Washington, D.C.
The main issue Governor Gianforte raised in his public letter to Chief Moore was what he called a reinterpretation of cost-sharing agreements, saying it would “threaten to upend decades of fire protection coordination among state and federal agencies.” The Governor also expressed that his requests for clarification and cooperation had “fallen on deaf ears.”
The governor’s letter also expressed concerns about how fires were being suppressed in Montana. Adding that communication from the Forest Service, specifically about the Sheep Creek Fire, confused the public. The letter gained considerable public attention.
The full letter can be found HERE.
Chief Randy Moore says communication has been open, and he has spoken to the Montana Governor on multiple occasions. He expresses that he offered solutions during these calls and wants to move forward amicably. Still, the Chief said the public nature of the Governor’s letter and video posted has created uncertainty in the process.
The Forest Service has always had a collaborative relationship with the state of Montana, and the governor's statements mischaracterize the facts of our long-standing partnership and how we respond to wildfires safely and aggressively to protect communities.
Chief Moore
While the Governor's concerns are valid, it’s important to realize that no wildfire agency is immune to scrutiny. Just days after the Governor released his letter, a Montana State agency lost a prescribed burn near Helmville, Montana, that had to be declared a wildfire. It was not a big deal, but it shows that running wildfire operations is no easy task. Plenty of Forest Service employees sent me emails noting the ironic timing of the escaped Rx burn.
Hopefully, solutions can be found going forward to solve these differences because fire season isn’t going anywhere. And with another busy fire season likely coming in 2025, the last thing we need is State and Federal agencies at each other’s throats while wildfires rip 100,000 acres across Montana and Idaho.
Here is the Chief’s full letter:
Many of you have seen the recent statements by the Governor of Montana. I am sending this message to all employees in the Northern Region to assure you that I will continue to support the amazing work you do. Thank you for consistently modeling our agency's values of respect, dignity, and trustworthiness in how we treat each other.
The Forest Service has always had a collaborative relationship with the state of Montana, and the governor's statements mischaracterize the facts of our long-standing partnership and how we respond to wildfires safely and aggressively to protect communities. Your regional forester has been at the forefront of building collaborative partnerships in Montana for years, even before the current governor entered public service. Her commitment to working across all boundaries in support of effective strategies for preventing and mitigating wildfires will continue.
The governor and I have spoken multiple times, and I offered solutions and a path forward to resolve any disagreements amicably. Regardless of the uncertainty the governor's letter, news release, and recent video have now injected into this process, I worked with your regional forester and have responded to the Governor in a way that keeps us moving forward proactively.
Chief Randy Moore
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Here’s what you said, Chief. “The Forest Service has always had a collaborative relationship with the state of Montana, and the governor's statements mischaracterize the facts of our long-standing partnership and how we respond to wildfires safely and aggressively to protect communities.
Chief Moore
You have three months to gather your papers and have a retirement party. Remember to take Brian Ferebee and Chris French and your budget minions with you. Leanne, too. If you forget, we’ll help you.
Your version of collaboration is to inform the States how you’re going to operate and then force them to sign your “Master Agreements,” all of which will come under immediate review.
Unilateral intentional wildfire use outside normal firing ops in direct attack and falling back to the next best ridge are over. So are the foolishly simplistic NEPA documents and FONSIs that cover major federal actions like the 2022 Black Fire in NM.
Your successor will slam on the breaks and force the agency to inventory and disclose the environmental impacts of the past 15 years of let-burn fire management.
Your response to Gianforte and Little was written by Kamala Harris. You’ve seen the stars but you still can’t see the light.
Carry on. Time is short.
I would be interested in hearing Gov. Gianforte’s response to the Forest Service Chief’s letter, which appeared self-serving and defensive of employees but not necessarily focused on actual problem-solving. If offered nothing concrete from my perspective.
I’m on the outside looking in, but as a citizen who suffered through 2.5 months of massive wildfire and choking smoke in our area, I noticed a lot of self-congratulation among the forest service fire managers, especially in the last month of the incident. Forest Service personnel were gracious and kind to the locals always, but the attitude seemed to shift more to supporting the bureaucracy and employees and less on the mission as time went on. Communication with the community went from non-existent early on, to excellent midway, then quite poor in the several weeks before they pulled out. The costs to our community were astronomical, not just financially but also in the physical and emotional toll on the local humans, animals, and plants.