Providing staffing for the Montana SFI Implementation Committee:

Patrick has been involved with SFI implementation since the certification program's inception in 1994. Montana has one of the most active and progressive SFI Implementation Committees and continues to pioneer and explore the opportunities that SFI provides to advance the practice of sutainable forestry. 

Developing, directing and administering Montana's award winning Accredited Logging Professional - ALP - program:

Conceived in 1991, Patrick began working with Montana State University Extension Forestry to build an initial forest stewardship curriculum for timber harvesting contractors and their employers. The first Forest Stewardship Workshops for Loggers were held at the University of Montana Biological Station facility, on Flathead Lake, during the spring of 1994.

Since then, the ALP program has evolved into a complete vocational training and education program for timber harvesting contractors and their employees, with a complete training verification relational database. The verification of education and training records becomes increasingly important for the verification of evolving forest certification standards.

Developing a vocational eductaion and training program to build forest management and business development skills within the Native American firefighter community:

PAFTI is working with the Society of American Foresters - SAF - to develop an accredited curriculum for skill capacity building within the ranks of existing fire suppression crews. This modular, two-track curriculum will empower firefighters to take on additional forest management tasks, so that they can realize year-round employment and accomplish forest managemnt tasks on Federal lands, which would otherwise not get done.

Track One - 'Forestry Skills For Indian Country - Introduction To Forest Restoration', is designed to build basic forest mangement work skills, in thinning, tree planting and fuel reduction. Subjects covered include basic forest measurements and health asessment, basic silviculture and forest stewardship and builds the field skills necessary for successful project implementation. This workshop was successfully piloted during two workshops during March 2006, at Warm Springs, Oregon and Whiteriver, Arizona.

Track Two - 'Forestry Skills For Indian Country - Introduction To Business Management', is designed for tribal forestry department staff and local enterpreneurs, who seek to pursue 'off-reservation' forest mangement contracting opportunities. This workshop covers the basics of business management to empower those who seek to start up new forest management businesses with the small business skills necessary to be successful. This workshop was sucessfully piloted during two sessions in March 2007, in Seattle, Washington and Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Significant work opportunities exist under the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA), which authorizes tribes to propose and implement forest management projects  on adjacent federal lands.

Next steps include producing formal 'train-the-trainer' curriculum formats for both workshops and recruiting an initial cadre of local tribal forestry professionals, to learn how to deliver the training programs in their local communities. This will facilitate widespread dissemination of the technical skills necessary for successful projects and build the firefighter workforce skills far and wide throughout Indian Country.

Additionally, it is proposed that PAFTI will assist selected tribes in developing a 'coached' TFPA project in their local area. This will create models for further TFPA projects, creating significant work opportunities for local forestry workers.  

Developing a new Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) guidebook for the State of Wyoming

PAFTI has devloped a new BMP guidebook for Wyoming, published in December 2006. This 60-page publication was produced using Adobe In Design software, which PAFTI purchased in 2006. We can assist you with developing print quality natural resource publications for your organization. 

Forest Machinery Applications:

Together with our Associates - visit our About Us page - we continue to develop our forest machinery seminars and our GPS-based activity costing systems. We are working with a variety of clients to explore the exciting possibilities of real time monitoring data, to assist them with increased equipment efficiency, utilization and productivity. See our Services page for more information

Custom Training DVDs:

PAFTI is developing customized training DVDs, which focus on building effective training materials for specific skills. PAFTI is currently developing DVDs for stream crossing installation, geotextile installation, road drainage and other road construction and maintenance skills, with the Montana Forest Stewardship Foundation. PAFTI has purchased high resolution digital photography equipment and Adobe Essential Elements software, for custom video editing.

Forest Biomass Co-Generation Feasibility Study:

Working with L.D. Jellison, of Vancouver, Washington, PAFTI is developing a fuel availability and cost study for F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., in Columbia Falls, Montana. This study examines the availability, costs and logistics of harvesting and delivering forest biomass to the proposed co-generation facility. 

The Montana Legacy Project:

PAFTI has been retained by the Trust For Public Land (TPL), to assist with the purchase and disposition of 320,000 acres of Plum Creek timberland, which is being jointly purchased by TPL and The Nature Conservancy. PAFTI will be co-ordinating with the Montana State Legislature, the Montana Administration and other parties, to secure state funding for the disposition of land to Montana state management agencies. 

Stream Crossing Reclamation:

During the summer of 2010, PAFTI worked with Graves Bay - a Kalispell, Montana contractor - to remove and reclaim 21 major forest road stream crossing sites on the Flathead National Forest. Patrick Heffernan, of PAFTI, Inc. and Peter Gall, of Graves Bay, pioneered innovative techniques for stream crossing removal, including the largest culvert removal ever attempted on the Flathead National Forest - Felix Creek (164' - long 5' dia. culvert; 12,000 cu yds. of excavation).

Montana Wood Products Association:

From January through May of 2011, Patrick will be representing the Montana Wood Products Association (MWPA) as their Executive Vice President, until they permanently fill the position in June 2011. Patrick is currently working in Helena, Montana, lobbying the Montana State Legislature on MWPA's behalf.

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