FIrst Person

STERLING RANCH, 22,000 acres of forestland near Wolf Creek, Mt., privately managed by Ottman Forestry Consultants, has been a case study in healthy, sustainable forest management.

Montana sawmill leads the way to forest health

In 2020, Marks luMber, Clancy, Mt., launched the first video in a now-ongoing educational series designed to identify the benefits of a more proactive, science-based forest management policy. Our goal for the program is to share an insider perspective on how responsible forestry can create a lasting, positive impact on wildlife habitat, air quality, water quality, and safety.

Over the past few years, we have interviewed professional foresters and agency personnel, providing them a platform to share their knowledge about sustainable forest management practices.

“If we don’t manage our forests, the forests are going to manage themselves,” explains Marks Lumber owner and operator Steve Marks. “That’s why it’s so important that we have good forest management practices. We don’t have to cut every acre, and we’re not going to cut every acre, but we have to make huge fuel breaks and clean up what we can. That’s what good forestry does.”

As a mid-sized specialty sawmill that sells directly to the public, Marks Lumber has developed a unique direct-to-consumer relationship over our 75 years of experience in manufacturing timber products. The connection we have with our customers and community is what inspired us to start this program and share an industry perspective on a topic that is coming to the forefront of many public conversations.

The nature of the specialty products we offer means that we are always educators first, explaining to customers what exactly we do and why we do it. Because of this relationship, providing a voice to the timber products industry by educating people on forest management activities was a natural next step.

Marks Lumber is a tier-one timber manufacturer. We process over 1.5 million bd. ft. of timber products per year, specializing in authentic circle sawn flooring, timbers, lumber, and siding. Since 1988, the Marks family has continually operated, innovated and evolved the business to persevere through difficult and volatile times in the industry. As an organization, we are strong advocates for the timber products industry, Montana businesses, and responsible forest management and fire mitigations.