USFA Partners With Montana

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte have signed a Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding, establishing a new framework between the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Montana to advance forest restoration and reduce wildfire risk across the state.

Montana’s Shared Stewardship Agreement expands collaborative efforts to accelerate active forest management, safeguard communities, and support sustainable timber production.

“This agreement is exactly the kind of forward-leaning, state-driven leadership that President Trump and USDA have championed since day one,” comments Secretary Rollins. “By cutting burdensome, unnecessary red tape and empowering Montana to lead, we’re proving that through real partnership, conservation and economic growth can go hand-in-hand.”

“Today marks continued progress for Montana’s forests and the communities that depend on them,” adds Governor Gianforte. “Thanks to a renewed interest in collaborating with states from the Trump administration, this agreement will empower our state to take the lead in active forest management, reduce wildfire risk, support local jobs, and ensure our forests remain healthy for generations to come.”

The Forest Service and Montana Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) will jointly identify and execute large-scale forest management projects, initially focusing on approximately 200,000 acres in northwest Montana. The Memorandum of Understanding leverages federal tools—including the Good Neighbor Authority—to streamline implementation and reduce delays.

“This partnership between the Forest Service and Montana is a model for collaborative, landscape-scale forest management,” says Schultz. “This agreement is a win for Montana and a win for the country.”

The Shared Stewardship model emphasizes outcome-driven, cross-boundary strategies to address wildfire risk, insect and disease outbreaks, and other landscape-level challenges. Under the agreement, both agencies will commit staff to statewide coordination, set aggressive restoration and timber targets, and track results through a public-facing dashboard.