Swan Legacy Forest

The Swan Legacy Forest (SLF) is the last ¼ section (160 acres) of the Montana Legacy Project, which was donated to SVC by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2018. An effort led by The Trust for Public Lands and TNC, the Montana Legacy Project conserved 310,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Company lands from development and transferred them into Federal, State, private land ownership, starting in the late 2000s.

Conservation & Education in Perpetuity

A conservation easement has been placed on the property through The Montana Land Reliance, ensuring that this property be utilized for conservation, stewardship, and education in perpetuity.

SVC plans to utilize the SLF property for educational opportunities for private landowners, students, and interested people on active forest management practices, including forest thinning, pile burning, invasive weed treatments, and more.

Features

“Continuing the Legacy: Forest Management on the Swan Legacy Forest” by Mike Mayernik
The Confluence (Fall 2021)

“TNC Donates ‘Section 31’ to SVC” by Andi Bourne
The Pathfinder (December 2018)

A Landscape & Livelihood student cores a tree on the SLF (coring removes a tiny strip of the tree's cross section to reveal annual growth rings hidden inside the trunk).

Public tour of the fuels reduction/forest thinning project completed by Euchre Mountain Logging on the SLF. (August 2021)

Tree planting workshop, free and open to the public, where participants learned about and planted fire-adapted species on the property

Bigfork Elementary 5th graders camping on the Swan Legacy Forest property for their end of year camping trip

Bigfork Elementary 5th grader exploring a wetland on Forest Service land adjacent to the SLF property

Bigfork Elementary 5th graders learning about wetland ecology with Education Director Sara Lamar

Swan Legacy Forest

Conservation & Education in Perpetuity

Features

Property Maps