The public took ownership of 112,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Co. land earlier this week when the second phase of the Montana Legacy Project took effect.
The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land helped arrange the western Montana land deal in February. The purchase was financed by $250 million in federal money, and the land was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service on Monday.
The Lolo National Forest got 67,000 acres, and the Flathead National Forest received the remaining 45,000 acres.
The Montana Legacy Project will eventually involve a total of 320,000 acres of Plum Creek land being conveyed to state or federal agencies at a total cost of $510 million.
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Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com
