Intermountain Region
Our forestry consultants and land management professionals in the Intermountain region are here to serve you
After acquiring land, it can be a challenge to know how to care for it. The land sustains so much life for countless species, and providing proper land management is an important responsibility. That’s where AFM comes in. We want to be your trusted partner who dreams with you about what is possible on your property and walks you through the steps to make it a reality. Our commitment to sustainability and stewardship means we will treat your property like it’s our own, and we follow all applicable Best Management Practices (BMPs), Forest Practice rules, Safe Harbor Agreements, and all other state and federal requirements to ensure that your land or investment remains healthy and thriving for generations.
The land and forest management experts in AFM’s Intermountain Region are local specialists with deep knowledge of the area’s climate, tree species, soil types, vegetation, wildlife, wildfire behavior, and more. As such, they are equipped to help you with the goals and objectives for your property and offer these region-specific services:
- Forest Planning: Oftentimes, putting descriptions of what you own and the steps needed to accomplish your goals and objectives is the first step. We write forest management plans to assist you in qualifying for reduced property taxes and various cost-share programs. Some areas even offer cost-share to help pay for the development of a forest plan.
- Fuels Reduction, Fire Hazards, and Wildland Fire Management: mechanical thinning, invasive species management, prescribed burning, firebreaks, and more.
- Timber Harvesting: Our foresters will oversee timber harvest permitting, log marketing, and contract administration. We will help develop a harvest prescription designed to meet your objectives, coupled with our experience of managing local forests and addressing local forest health concerns. Our deep knowledge of log markets will help maximize value for each log that is harvested from your property. We also offer log accounting services that track each load to every mill on a daily basis to monitor log quality, rate of production, and mill payment reconciliation. These steps ensure that all parties are properly compensated for their work and that the landowner is receiving full value for their harvested timber.
- Forest Inventory: We are able to design and execute cruises from properties as small as 10 acres up to 100,000 acres. Cruises can be used for estate planning purposes, setting of a timber basis, or to prepare for a timber sale. They are often helpful to include when preparing a forest management plan to highlight overstocked stands in need of non-commercial thinning, are ready to be harvested, or may have lower stocking than anticipated and need to be interplanted.
- Reforestation: Our foresters will develop an appropriate planting prescription for your property, facilitate site preparation activities, and oversee the planting. Reforestation can be completed after a timber harvest, wildfire, or afforestation of previously non-forested areas.
- Grants and Cost-Share Programs: We can help landowners apply for USDA grants and other state and federal funds, assist in the development of the treatment prescriptions, and then oversee the execution of those contracts.
- Forest Certifications: Certifications like the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), FSC, and SFI help provide landowners with access to additional timber markets through individual or group options.
- GIS/Mapping: AFM’s GIS/Technology Group specializes in spatial data solutions, application development, spatial analysis, map production, HBU analysis, and technical support for AFM employees and its clients.
- Carbon Services: The carbon market is dynamic, and AFM has relationships with several carbon developers who work with landowners of all shapes and sizes.
The Intermountain region encompasses Montana, Idaho, and the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon. Our Intermountain management team, Brian Vrablick, Nicole Porter, and Eric Koenig, has a combined experience of 64 years of land management and forestry experience. Each of them is a member of the Society of American Foresters, and Brian Vrablick and Eric Koenig are members of the Association of Consulting Foresters. Eric Koenig is a Certified Burner through the Washington State Certified Burner Program and also a Washington Contract Loggers Association Master Logger.