Description: Linkage zones in general are broad areas of seasonal habitat where animals can find the quantity and quality of food, shelter, and security to meet their needs. Linkage zones for grizzly bears were identified in the Swan valley, representing areas that provide habitat with low levels of disturbance; these linkage zones support grizzly movement between the Swan and Mission Mountain ranges.
Description: Portions of two USFWS designated Recovery Areas occur in Missoula County: the North Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and Bitterroot Recovery Area. Grizzly bears currently occupy much of the NCDE, but are not thought to be established in the Bitterroot Recovery Area at this time.
Description: Areas where grizzly bears are likely to reside on a regular basis also exist outside of the designated Recovery Areas in Missoula County. While grizzlies are most likely to be found in Currently Occupied Habitat, bear managers in Missoula County caution that it is possible to encounter a grizzly bear in any but the most urban areas, as bears continue to expand their range.
Description: Several rivers and streams in Missoula County have been designated Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act, indicating that they contain features essential for national conservation of bull trout. A critical habitat designation does not impose restrictions on non- federal lands unless federal funds, permits or activities are involved. However, it alerts all landowners that these areas are important to the recovery of the species.
Description: Occupied Bull Trout streams—In addition to the streams proposed for Critical Habitat listing, FWP identifies a few other streams or stream reaches in which bull trout are found, based on fish surveys.
Description: Several rivers and streams in Missoula County have been designated Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act, indicating that they contain features essential for national conservation of bull trout. A critical habitat designation does not impose restrictions on non- federal lands unless federal funds, permits or activities are involved. However, it alerts all landowners that these areas are important to the recovery of the species.
Description: The Flathead and Lolo National Forests identify watersheds (6th code) that are priorities for bull trout. The criteria, taken from the Inland Native Fish Strategy are: 1) Watersheds with excellent habitat of strong assemblages of inland native fish, with a priority on bull trout populations; or 2) Watersheds that provide for population objectives; or 3) Degraded watersheds with a high restoration potential. Priority watersheds are useful for identifying areas where land use activities could have indirect effects on important bull trout habitat.
Description: Public land management agencies and Plum Creek Timber Company have modeled potential lynx habitat using data on vegetation, elevation, and other habitat characteristics to identify forest patches that are likely suitable for lynx. Each agency’s methodology is slightly different—for more details, contact the individual agencies responsible for the data.
Description: Lynx Analysis Units (LAU’s)—Federal land management agencies use LAU’s to identify large areas (roughly the size of a lynx’s home range) in which to assess potential impacts of land management decisions on lynx. These LAU’s can also be used to identify potential lynx habitat in areas of the county where habitat modeling is not yet available, although potential lynx habitat may exist.
Description: In 2009 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) designated Critical Habitat for lynx across the United States. This designation identifies areas thought to be crucial to the recovery of the species at a national level.
Description: The map depicts the location of wetlands that are known to have Water Howellia in them. Surveys have been conducted in wetlands on most public and some of the private lands in the Swan. However, lack of inclusion in this dataset does not necessarily imply water howellia is not present, especially on private lands.
Description: The map shows areas identified by wildlife biologists with FWP to provide winter range habitat for white-tailed deer and mule deer.
For both species, FWP has identified winter range at a one square mile (section) level, indicating that at least part if not the whole section provides winter range habitat. Due to this broad scale, FWP asserts that these data are appropriate for general planning purposes or broad landscape review (such as watershed scale conservation planning). These data are not intended for planning and/or review of site-specific activities (such as reviewing subdivision proposals or energy development sites), but can give developers an early indication that further conversation with local FWP biologists is warranted before designing a project. Also, these data only show identified winter range. In some areas, there may be especially important other habitats for ungulates, such as crucial summer habitats that have not yet been mapped countywide.
Description: The map shows areas identified by wildlife biologists with FWP to provide winter range habitat for white-tailed deer and mule deer.
For both species, FWP has identified winter range at a one square mile (section) level, indicating that at least part if not the whole section provides winter range habitat. Due to this broad scale, FWP asserts that these data are appropriate for general planning purposes or broad landscape review (such as watershed scale conservation planning). These data are not intended for planning and/or review of site-specific activities (such as reviewing subdivision proposals or energy development sites), but can give developers an early indication that further conversation with local FWP biologists is warranted before designing a project. Also, these data only show identified winter range. In some areas, there may be especially important other habitats for ungulates, such as crucial summer habitats that have not yet been mapped countywide.
Description: The map shows areas identified by wildlife biologists with FWP to provide winter range habitat for elk in Missoula County.
FWP has identified winter range at a one square mile (section) level, indicating that at least part if not the whole section provides winter range habitat. Due to this broad scale, FWP asserts that these data are appropriate for general planning purposes or broad landscape review (such as watershed scale conservation planning). These data are not intended for planning and/or review of site-specific activities (such as reviewing subdivision proposals or energy development sites), but can give developers an early indication that further conversation with local FWP biologists is warranted before designing a project. Also, these data only show identified winter range. In some areas, there may be especially important other habitats for elk, such as calving areas, linkage zones, or crucial summer habitats that have not yet been mapped countywide.
Description: The map shows areas identified by FWP biologists as habitat for bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Areas providing winter range habitat are differentiated from those providing habitat in the non-winter months.
For these data layers, FWP has identified habitat at a one square mile (section) level, indicating that at least part if not the whole section provides habitat. Due to this broad scale, FWP asserts that these data are appropriate for general planning purposes or broad landscape review (such as watershed scale conservation planning). These data are not intended for planning and/or review of site-specific activities (such as reviewing subdivision proposals or energy development sites), but can give developers an early indication that further conversation with local FWP biologists is warranted before designing a project.
Description: The map shows areas identified by FWP biologists as habitat for bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Areas providing winter range habitat are differentiated from those providing habitat in the non-winter months.
For these data layers, FWP has identified habitat at a one square mile (section) level, indicating that at least part if not the whole section provides habitat. Due to this broad scale, FWP asserts that these data are appropriate for general planning purposes or broad landscape review (such as watershed scale conservation planning). These data are not intended for planning and/or review of site-specific activities (such as reviewing subdivision proposals or energy development sites), but can give developers an early indication that further conversation with local FWP biologists is warranted before designing a project.
Description: This map shows potential cutthroat trout habitat in Missoula County, based on two sets of data:
1.Cutthroat Trout Streams—All streams with known populations of westslope cutthroat trout in Missoula County.
2.Genetically Pure Populations—Streams in which westslope cutthroat trout populations are genetically pure, or have not hybridized with rainbow trout.
Description: Plant Species of Concern Locations—The map depicts the location of known plant species of concern. Lack of inclusion in this dataset does not necessarily imply plant species of concern are not present, especially on private lands.
Description: The map shows areas providing potential habitat for bald eagles. The information is based on a number of habitat factors, including proximity to large waterbodies. Potential bald eagle habitat is further divided into two categories: Optimal Habitat—Indicates areas most likely to be occupied by bald eagles. These areas have habitat features that make them appealing to bald eagles, such as nearness to large waterbodies and dense riparian areas with potential nesting sites. These are areas where bald eagles are most likely to nest, and where human disturbance has greater potential to affect eagles.
Suitable Habitat—Indicates areas with habitat features that could attract bald eagles. It is less likely, but not impossible, that bald eagles would nest in these areas. Bald eagle use of these areas is more likely to be foraging or other activities that are less sensitive to human disturbance.
Description: This map shows potential loon habitat in Missoula County, based on two sets of data:
1.Loon nesting lakes in Missoula County—Biologists from multiple agencies monitor loon nesting annually, coordinated by the Montana Loon Working Group. This map shows lakes in Missoula County where nesting has occurred within the last five years.
2.Loon Lake Buffers—Although loons will typically use the same lakes for nesting year after year, they do not necessarily nest in the same place every year. The 500’ foot buffer around lakes on which loons nest indicates lands where land management may affect loons, should they choose to nest on that portion of shoreline (500’ is indicated in the Draft Montana Loon Management Plan as a critical area for maintaining intact vegetation and minimizing disturbance around loon nest sites and potential nesting sites).
Description: The map shows the boundary of the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (BCWMA). The BCWMA encompasses lands owned by the United States Forest Service, the State of Montana (both Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks lands), and Plum Creek Timber Company.
Description: The National Audubon Society has identified two Important Bird Areas in Missoula County:
1.Clark Fork River- Grass Valley IBA—The Clark Fork River-Grass Valley IBA encompasses about 22 miles of river corridor and adjacent uplands between Missoula and Huson. Habitats include cottonwood gallery forests, riparian willows, various wetland types, grasslands, woody draws, and agricultural crops and pasture lands. Most of the land within the IBA is privately owned. More than 230 species of birds have been documented in the area since the late 1990’s. 2.Bitterroot River IBA—The Bitterroot River IBA encompasses the 500-year floodplain around a 30 mile stretch of the Bitterroot River from Woodside downriver to just south of Lolo and includes the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. The riparian habitat is dominated by black cottonwoods and willows. More than 240 species of birds have been recorded within the IBA.
Description: The map shows the location of streams and rivers in Missoula County. For large rivers, the current river channel is mapped. For streams and tributaries, the thickness of the line indicates the stream order, which is determined by calculating how many tributaries contribute to that stream. For example, high mountain streams trickling down from a spring are 1st order; where two of them come together, the resulting stream is 2nd order, and so on. In addition to the data displayed on the map, the Conservation Resources Database contains additional information about most streams, including: Fish Species Present: Where available, a list of fish species found in a stream are attached to the stream in the database. Absence of a species in the data is not evidence of absence in the waterway. Additionally, the presence of one species does not imply that other species were searched for but not found.
Water Quality Information: The database includes information regarding stream water quality status according to the 303 (d) list, which is required by the federal Clean Water Act and identifies waters in Montana which have been assessed as having one or more beneficial uses impaired by human-caused pollution.
Description: The map shows the location of all lakes and ponds in Missoula County. Associated with each lake or pond is the name of the lake or pond (if it’s named), and the size (in acres), as well as additional information, if available, on the following topics:
Fish Species Present: Many of the lakes in the county have been surveyed for fish species, and this information is included in the Conservation Resources Database attached to the lake, where available. MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks notes that site-specific surveys are frequently necessary to determine the presence of species. Note that absence of a species presence in the data is not evidence of absence in the water body. Additionally, the presence of one species does not imply that other species were searched for but not found.
Water Quality Information: The 303(d) List, required by the federal Clean Water Act, identifies waters in the state which have been assessed as having one or more of their beneficial uses impaired by human-caused pollution. For any lakes or ponds in Missoula County that are on this list, the Conservation Resource Database includes information indicating the cause(s) of such listing. For example, Seeley and Salmon Lakes appeared on the list when monitoring identified high levels of nutrients, organic enrichment, and reduced dissolved oxygen.
Description: The map shows the location of wetlands in Missoula County that have been identified using infrared imagery and aerial photography. While this database is fairly inclusive, other wetlands may exist, and thus care should be taken to conduct site-specific surveys to identify potential wetlands when planning for particular conservation or development projects.
The map differentiates between wetlands of different types, including:
Lacustrine wetlands—these are essentially lakes, or open water wetlands situated in topographic depressions with less than 30% vegetative cover and greater than 20 acres in size
Palustrine wetlands—these are forest ponds or marshes, or wetlands dominated by trees, shrubs, and persistent emergent vegetation
Riverine wetlands—wetlands associated with rivers and streams
Description: ** Riparian mapping has only been completed for a small portion of Missoula County, consisting of areas in and around the North Bitterroot and Lolo Creek drainages. The map indicates areas where mapping has occurred. Additional riparian area mapping in Missoula County is currently being conducted on the Flathead Reservation and the Rock Creek drainage. Missoula County Rural Initiatives and the Montana Natural Heritage Program have submitted a proposal for a grant to fund riparian mapping throughout the rest of the county.
Riparian areas are mapped using aerial and infrared imagery to identify riparian vegetation. Thus the maps indicate areas where riparian vegetation currently exists, but do not show areas where riparian vegetation should naturally exist but no longer does because of removal by humans or recent wildfires. Because the maps are produced from aerial photography, there can be some slight errors, and so site-specific identification of riparian areas is recommended when planning development or conservation projects. Therefore, the maps are most useful for identifying potential riparian areas, and/or for identifying potential restoration areas, where riparian vegetation no longer exists near streams but could be restored.
Description: ** Riparian mapping has only been completed for a small portion of Missoula County, consisting of areas in and around the North Bitterroot and Lolo Creek drainages. The map indicates areas where mapping has occurred. Additional riparian area mapping in Missoula County is currently being conducted on the Flathead Reservation and the Rock Creek drainage. Missoula County Rural Initiatives and the Montana Natural Heritage Program have submitted a proposal for a grant to fund riparian mapping throughout the rest of the county.
Riparian areas are mapped using aerial and infrared imagery to identify riparian vegetation. Thus the maps indicate areas where riparian vegetation currently exists, but do not show areas where riparian vegetation should naturally exist but no longer does because of removal by humans or recent wildfires. Because the maps are produced from aerial photography, there can be some slight errors, and so site-specific identification of riparian areas is recommended when planning development or conservation projects. Therefore, the maps are most useful for identifying potential riparian areas, and/or for identifying potential restoration areas, where riparian vegetation no longer exists near streams but could be restored.
Description: Although much of the county consists of lands where recreation is allowed, some areas are specifically created for, and/or actively managed for recreation. The map identifies these areas, as well as designated Wilderness Areas in Missoula County.
Forest Service Recreation Areas—The Forest Service allows recreation on most all of its lands, but specifically manages a few areas specifically for recreation in Missoula County, where activities such as hiking, skiing, mountain biking and horseback riding are among the most popular activities.
Wilderness Areas—While managed for a variety of purposes, wilderness areas are often best known for their dispersed recreation opportunities. The map shows all areas managed as wilderness areas in Missoula County.
City Open Space Areas—The City of Missoula maintains several larger areas of land for Open Space, in which dispersed recreation is allowed and encouraged. Neighborhood Common Areas and Undeveloped County Parks—Many of the County Parks are currently undeveloped and managed as natural areas, allowing opportunities for dispersed recreation. Similarly, many neighborhoods have Common Areas that allow for recreation at the neighborhood level. (Note that not all common areas allow for public use).
Description: The map displays the locations of sites of recognized historic interest in Missoula County. The Conservation Resource Geodatabase includes the site name and additional information about features of the site. *Note that because of the cultural sensitivity of information about historic Native American sites, they are not mapped here, but should still be recognized as resources of conservation interest. In addition, many other sites of historic interest likely exist but have not been formally recognized.
Historic Sites—Historic sites shown on the map include historic assets that are not on the National Register but have been identified by the Missoula Historic Preservation Officer as sites of local historic interest. The types of sites include homesteads, schoolhouses, ranger stations, and other sites of historic interest. The map also shows the locations of fire lookout towers that are of historic interest.
Description: The map displays the locations of sites of recognized historic interest in Missoula County. The Conservation Resource Geodatabase includes the site name and additional information about features of the site. *Note that because of the cultural sensitivity of information about historic Native American sites, they are not mapped here, but should still be recognized as resources of conservation interest. In addition, many other sites of historic interest likely exist but have not been formally recognized.
Historic Trails—Trails that were historically used as main thoroughways through Missoula County. Mapped trails are an approximate documentation of what was once there, and in most cases the trails no longer exist.
Description: The map displays the locations of sites of recognized historic interest in Missoula County. The Conservation Resource Geodatabase includes the site name and additional information about features of the site. *Note that because of the cultural sensitivity of information about historic Native American sites, they are not mapped here, but should still be recognized as resources of conservation interest. In addition, many other sites of historic interest likely exist but have not been formally recognized.
National Historic Register Districts and Buildings—Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
Description: The map shows general areas (within public land survey sections) that contain sites of archaeological interest. Sites include: cribbed log structures, historic agriculture sites and irrigation systems, historic building foundations, historic mines and railroads, mammal fossils, rock cairns, and others. Because of the sensitivity of these sites to disturbance and vandalism, the specific locations of sites are not publicly available. Instead, the map identifies sections that may contain sites of archeological interest. For more detailed information, contact the Missoula Historic Preservation Officer and/or the Montana State Historic Preservation Office. NOTE: This information represents known recorded sites. As many areas of Montana have yet to be inventoried, the absence of Cultural/Historic sites on the maps is not necessarily evidence for the absence of sites. In addition, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes maintain information about the location of sites of archaeological and cultural importance, including undisturbed spiritual sites, prehistoric and historic campsites, burial grounds, and other cultural sites. Because of the extreme cultural sensitivity of the information, these places are not mapped, but are nonetheless important for conservation.
Description: The map shows areas that are currently developed for recreation. It does not identify lands that may be appropriate for developed recreation in the future. Specific layers that are shown include:
Forest Service Recreation Areas—The map shows the location of developed recreation sites on Forest Service lands. The Conservation Resources Database includes information about each site, including site’s name and the developed recreation opportunities available, such as campgrounds, picnic areas, viewing areas, points of interest, interpretive sites, and trailheads. City Parks—The maps shows the location of parks and developed recreation sites owned and maintained by the City of Missoula. The Conservation Resources Database includes the name of each site.
County Parks—The map shows the location of developed parks owned and maintained by the Missoula County Parks Department. The Conservation Resources Database includes additional information about each park, including the name, the type of facilities available, and other information.
School Grounds—The maps shows the location of schools and school grounds in Missoula County; most have developed play areas associated with them that are available to the general public during non-school hours.
State Parks—The map shows the location of state parks that are owned and managed by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The Conservation Resources Database includes information about recreational facilities and opportunities available at each.
Description: The map shows areas that are currently developed for recreation. It does not identify lands that may be appropriate for developed recreation in the future. Specific layers that are shown include:
Forest Service Recreation Areas—The map shows the location of developed recreation sites on Forest Service lands. The Conservation Resources Database includes information about each site, including site’s name and the developed recreation opportunities available, such as campgrounds, picnic areas, viewing areas, points of interest, interpretive sites, and trailheads. City Parks—The maps shows the location of parks and developed recreation sites owned and maintained by the City of Missoula. The Conservation Resources Database includes the name of each site.
County Parks—The map shows the location of developed parks owned and maintained by the Missoula County Parks Department. The Conservation Resources Database includes additional information about each park, including the name, the type of facilities available, and other information.
School Grounds—The maps shows the location of schools and school grounds in Missoula County; most have developed play areas associated with them that are available to the general public during non-school hours.
State Parks—The map shows the location of state parks that are owned and managed by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The Conservation Resources Database includes information about recreational facilities and opportunities available at each.
Forest Service Recreation Areas—The Forest Service allows recreation on most all of its lands, but specifically manages a few areas specifically for recreation in Missoula County, where activities such as hiking, skiing, mountain biking and horseback riding are among the most popular activities.
Wilderness Areas—While managed for a variety of purposes, wilderness areas are often best known for their dispersed recreation opportunities. The map shows all areas managed as wilderness areas in Missoula County.
City Open Space Areas—The City of Missoula maintains several larger areas of land for Open Space, in which dispersed recreation is allowed and encouraged. Neighborhood Common Areas and Undeveloped County Parks—Many of the County Parks are currently undeveloped and managed as natural areas, allowing opportunities for dispersed recreation. Similarly, many neighborhoods have Common Areas that allow for recreation at the neighborhood level. (Note that not all common areas allow for public use).
Description: The map shows lands that are typically open for public hunting, in accordance with hunting regulations and local land management plans. These include:
Public Lands—Lands managed by the United States Forest Service (with the exception of developed recreation areas), US Bureau of Land Management, MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (with the exception of State Parks). Private Lands—Plum Creek Timber Company has traditionally allowed open access for hunters on all of their timber lands, and that benefit will transfer to lands being sold to the Nature Conservancy/Trust for Public Lands as part of the MT Legacy Project. Hunting is also allowed on other private lands, at the discretion of the landowner. Many landowners opt to enroll in the Block Management Program with Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, while others prefer to manage hunting on their own. ** Block management areas change regularly at the discretion of the landowner, and thus are not mapped here; contact FWP for maps of current Block Management areas. **
Description: The Montana Department of Revenue (DOR) is required to value private agricultural land based on primary use for tax purposes. This map shows areas in Missoula County that meet these DOR definitions:
Irrigated Land—land where human-engineered water delivery systems apply water to hay or crops to increase production. Land that has water available for irrigation most years is classified as irrigated if the water is used. Land that has water for irrigation most years, but the water is not utilized, is not classified as irrigated.
Non-irrigated Hay Land—land where hay is cut a majority of the years. This can include native vegetation cut for hay yearly, or a majority of the time over a period of years, as well as non-irrigated alfalfa and other domestic varieties cut for hay yearly or the majority of the time.
Summer Fallow Farmland—land farmed without using irrigation, where land is cultivated in alternate years (usually every other year), allowing moisture to be stored in the un-cropped (fallow) year. Even if grain crops are occasionally sequenced with alfalfa or other nitrogen fixing crops, the land will be classified as fallow if grain is the principle crop. Continuously Cropped Land—lands without irrigation in which crops are grown a majority of the time as part of a normal farming practice. Christmas tree plantation and fruit orchards are classified as continuously cropped farmland.
Description: The map shows areas where soils have been identified as Important Farmland Soils, based on their physical, biological, and chemical characteristics. The land may or may not be used for agricultural purposes; in fact many of the areas with Important Farmland Soils have already been converted into residential and commercial development or other non-agricultural uses. Prime Farmland (& Prime Farmland If Irrigated)—From a national perspective, these lands are of the highest quality and the most suitable for producing food, forage, fiber, and/or oilseed crops. They tend to be level (with slopes of 0-6%), have few rocks, are permeable to air and water, have an adequate growing season, and do not erode easily. Prime farmlands must receive a good supply of moisture, which must generally be provided through irrigation in Missoula County. Farmland of Statewide Importance—State agencies define and identify these soils as being important from a statewide perspective. This designation is similar to Prime Farmlands, but has slightly less stringent criteria. Soils may have higher pH or salt content, more rock fragments, or lower water holding capacity. They may be slightly more erodible, but can be highly productive and produce high crop yields when properly managed. Farmland of Local Importance—At the request of local farmers, the Missoula Conservation District identified important soils from a county-wide perspective. These soils must have at least half of the components used in assessing prime and statewide soils, and meet other minimal requirements for slope (<15%), drainage, and crop production (for spring wheat, hay, and pasture).
Description: This map shows the location of existing or historic irrigation ditches in Missoula County, including those that are maintained by various ditch companies (a collective group of farmers, ranchers, and others who jointly fund and manage the maintenance of the ditch as well as purchase water from it) and ditches maintained by private landowners. Specific Ditch Company Ditches— Information and mapping of the Grass Valley French Ditch, the Frenchtown Irrigation Ditch, and the Big Flat Irrigation Ditch were recently updated by Missoula County Rural Initiatives using historic maps, current aerial photographs, and communication with farmers and ranchers who are members of the ditch company. Maps of the Orchard Homes, Dougherty-Flynn, Hellgate, and Missoula irrigation ditches were developed by Missoula County Office of Planning and Grants using ground-truthed data in the mid-1990’s. Historic Irrigation Ditches—Extensive maps of irrigation ditches were created in an assessment of historical water use by the State Engineers Office in 1960. The maps provide a good general reference to show where irrigation ditches existed historically, and may still exist today. These maps should be used as a companion to Water Resource Survey books available from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Water Resources Division.
Description: The Department of Revenue Final Land Unit Classification (FLU) is a classification of private agricultural land into one of six uses, fallow, hay, grazing, irrigated, continuosly cropped and forest, with forest additionally classified as commercial or non-commercial and irrigated land classified as being flood, pivot, or sprinkler. The data is used in property valuation for agriculture and forest land on private properties. FLU data may exist in exempt or public land as a result of data conversion processes but no effort has been made to significantly edit, adjust, delete or enhance data to private parcel standards in exempt parcels. Linework was digitized, edited and updated by DOR GIS Technicians. NAIP 2005 imagery was the primary source used to delineate the features. NAIP 2006 where available, NAIP Infrared 2005 imagery, 1999-2003 B&W DOQQ, USGS DRG, and DOR ag information and documentation were used as secondary sources. Using photo interpretation, DOR Technicians attributed each linework polygon based one of the 6 uses mentioned above. During the summer of 2006 and 2007, DOR Agriculture Appraisers field checked much of the linework and classifications. Discrepancies are documented on hardcopy maps used in the field check effort. The data was then updated based on feedback from the field check. In early 2009, all agriculture producers who own private parcels in the state were mailed maps of their parcels ag/forest use with instructions to return maps that were incorrectly classified. DOR GIS Techs updated the database based on the feedback from landowners. The data is maintained continually as use changes are picked up or noticed by DOR county offices offices through new communications with land owners, DOR Appraisers discovering classification changes during field work and/or analysis of new imagery where available.
Description: The map shows public and corporate timber lands in Missoula County that have private grazing leases on them. Indication of lands as grazing leases does not exclude other uses. In fact, many of the grazing leases are on lands primarily managed for timber.
Data on the location of grazing lease or allotment boundaries was obtained from the various federal and state agencies that manage land in Missoula County. Plum Creek Timber Company also leases some of its timber lands for livestock grazing. Grazing leases on former Plum Creek lands that have been purchased by The Nature Conservancy (TNC)/Trust for Public Lands (TPL) via the Montana Legacy Project are also mapped, as TNC/TPL have committed to maintaining those leases while the land is under their ownership. The Bonita-Clinton-Potomac Grazing Association is a conglomeration of multiple ranchers that jointly lease a large area of mixed public and private lands for grazing. The boundaries of this significant lease are also shown.
Note: The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes manage grazing leases on tribal lands within the Flathead Reservation boundary. Data on these leases are not currently available.
Description: The map shows public and corporate timber lands in Missoula County that have private grazing leases on them. Indication of lands as grazing leases does not exclude other uses. In fact, many of the grazing leases are on lands primarily managed for timber.
Data on the location of grazing lease or allotment boundaries was obtained from the various federal and state agencies that manage land in Missoula County. Plum Creek Timber Company also leases some of its timber lands for livestock grazing. Grazing leases on former Plum Creek lands that have been purchased by The Nature Conservancy (TNC)/Trust for Public Lands (TPL) via the Montana Legacy Project are also mapped, as TNC/TPL have committed to maintaining those leases while the land is under their ownership. The Bonita-Clinton-Potomac Grazing Association is a conglomeration of multiple ranchers that jointly lease a large area of mixed public and private lands for grazing. The boundaries of this significant lease are also shown.
Note: The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes manage grazing leases on tribal lands within the Flathead Reservation boundary. Data on these leases are not currently available.
Description: The map shows lands managed for commercial timber by various public land management agencies in Missoula County:
Lolo, Bitterroot, and Flathead National Forests (USFS)—all have Forest Plans that identify the intended management goals for various portions of the forests. The map shows areas of these forests in which commercial timber management is one of the goals. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—manages for commercial timber on the majority of their forested lands in Missoula County. Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)—manages school trust lands for commercial timber; the majority of DNRC lands in the county are managed for timber, with the exception of a few parcels that are primarily managed for grazing or real estate. Lubrecht Experimental Forest (Lubrecht)—run by the University of Montana for the purposes of research and demonstration of timber management strategies and operations.
Note: The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes manage for commercial timber on many of the tribal lands within the Flathead Reservation boundary. Data on areas in which commercial timber management is allowed on tribal lands are not included on this map.
Description: Plum Creek Timber Company—lands owned by Plum Creek as of 2009, with the exception of those included in the Montana Legacy Project.<br /><br />Montana Legacy Project—lands recently purchased or to be purchased from Plum Creek, that will be conveyed to various state, federal, or private owners over the next several years, in the hopes that commercial timber management will remain a goal.<br /><br />Other private timber lands—derived from Department of Revenue data, these are all private lands that are classified as primarily timber lands for tax purposes.