Lubrecht State Experimental Forest

State forest in western Montana

46°53′30″N 113°26′3″W / 46.89167°N 113.43417°W / 46.89167; -113.43417Area20,306 acres (82.18 km²)Established1937Governing bodyMontana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

The Lubrecht State Experimental Forest is a 20,306-acre (8,218 ha) tract of protected land located in Missoula and Granite County, Montana, owned and managed by the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, of the University of Montana.^[1]

Land Use

Up until 1992, the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation had operated various programs that centered around spending either a quarter term or semester working within the boundaries of the forest to learn about forest management and to study the history of certain tracts of land used for logging decades prior. Today the Lubrecht Forest is used as a classroom by the W.A. Franke College to teach subjects such as forest ecology, controlled burns, and studies of surface^[2] and groundwater measurement.^[3] The forest also has lodging for university students and 12 miles of trails for cross-country skiing and hiking.^[4]

Flora and Fauna

The Lubrecht Experimental Forest features four major types of trees, the Western larch, Douglas fir, Lodgepole and Ponderosa. The Forest is unique compared to other protected areas in the state in that it annually sells timber to the community to help fund the upkeep of the area.

Although the flora is the main focus of the Forest, there are still over 60 different species of wildlife in the area, including black bears, eagles, elk, and bobcats.^[5]

History

From 1864 to 1937, the Lubrecht Forest was owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad, with some small tracts being sold off to the Anaconda Copper for the purpose of providing timber to be used in their mines. On December 24, 1937, the Anaconda Copper Company donated 19,058 acres to the state to be used by the university. The forest was named in for W.C. Lubrecht, the general manager of the Anaconda Company lumber operations. The Northern Pacific Railroad donated a further 1,210 acres two years later.^[6] The current acreage reflects small changes resulting in the buying and selling of parcels of land to and from private individuals.^[7]

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey- Retrieved 2022-02-09
^ Montana Water Survey- Retrieved 2022-02-09
^ Northern Rockies Fire Science Network- Retrieved 2022-02-08
^ "Lubrecht Forest". www.cfc.umt.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
^ University of Montana Lubrecht Forest Resources Section- Retrieved 2022-02-09
^ University of Montana Lubrecht Forest History Section- Retrieved 2022-02-08
^ Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation Official Website- Retrieved 2022-02-09

External links

Source Water Delineation and Assessment Report at the Montana State Official Website. Retrieved February 9, 2022.

Protected areas of Montana

Federal

National parks	Glacier Yellowstone
National monuments	Little Bighorn Battlefield Pompeys Pillar (BLM) Upper Missouri River Breaks (BLM)
National battlefield	Big Hole
National historical parks and historic sites	Grant–Kohrs Ranch NHS Nez Perce NHP
National historic and scenic trails	Lewis and Clark NHT Nez Perce NHT Continental Divide NST Pacific Northwest NST
National recreation area	Bighorn Canyon
National Wildlife Refuges	Benton Lake Black Coulee Bowdoin Charles M. Russell Creedman Coulee Grass Lake Hailstone Hewitt Lake Lake Mason Lake Thibadeau Lamesteer Lee Metcalf Lost Trail Medicine Lake Ninepipe Pablo Red Rock Lakes Swan River UL Bend War Horse
National Forests	Beaverhead–Deerlodge Bitterroot Custer Flathead Gallatin Helena Kootenai Lewis and Clark Lolo
National Wilderness	Absaroka–Beartooth Anaconda–Pintler Bear Trap Canyon Bob Marshall Cabinet Mountains Gates of the Mountains Great Bear Lee Metcalf Medicine Lake Mission Mountains Rattlesnake Red Rock Lakes Scapegoat Selway–Bitterroot UL Bend Welcome Creek
National wild and scenic rivers	East Rosebud Creek Flathead Missouri

State

State parks	Ackley Lake Anaconda Smoke Stack Bannack Beaverhead Rock Beavertail Hill Big Arm Black Sandy Brush Lake Chief Plenty Coups Clark's Lookout Cooney Council Grove Elkhorn Finley First Peoples Buffalo Jump Fort Owen Frenchtown Pond Giant Springs Granite Ghost Town Greycliff Prairie Dog Town Hell Creek Lake Elmo Lake Mary Ronan Lewis and Clark Caverns Logan Lone Pine Lost Creek Madison Buffalo Jump Makoshika Medicine Rocks Missouri Headwaters Painted Rocks Parker Homestead Pictograph Cave Pirogue Island Placid Lake Rosebud Battlefield Salmon Lake Sluice Boxes Smith River Somers Beach Spring Meadow Lake Thompson Falls Tongue River Reservoir Tower Rock Travelers' Rest Wayfarers West Shore Whitefish Lake Wild Horse Island Yellow Bay
State forests	Clearwater Coal Creek Lincoln Lubrecht Experimental Stillwater Sula Swan River Thompson River
Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Island Aunt Molly Badlands Beartooth Beckman Big Lake Blackfoot-Clearwater Blackleaf Blue Eyed Nellie Bowdoin Buffalo Head Park Bull River Calf Creek Canyon Creek Canyon Ferry Dodson Creek Dodson Dam Dome Mountain Ear Mountain Elk Island F Island Flathead Lake Flathead River Fleecer Mountain Fox Lake Freezout Lake Fresno Reservoir Fresno Tailwater Gallatin Garrity Mountain Grant Marsh Gravelly-Blacktail Haymaker Hinsdale Horseshoe Lake Howard Valley Isaac Homestead Judith River Kootenai/Falls Kootenai/West Kootenai/Woods Ranch Lake Helena Lost Creek Lower Stillwater Lake Madison-Bear Creek Madison-Wall Creek Milk River Mount Haggin Mount Jumbo Mount Silcox Nevada Lake Ninepipe North Swan Valley CE Pablo Ray Kuhns Robb-Ledford Rookery Roundhom Sanders Seven Sisters Silver Gate Silver Run Smith River Sun River Swan Lake Thompson-Fisher CE Three Mile Threemile Vandalia War Dance Island Warm Springs