About MMWIP

MMWIP is an innovative harvest-local/buy-local project run by TWU, a small business producing hardwood furniture blanks in Ronan, Montana on the Flathead Reservation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). MMWIP aims to build a US market for low-quality wood through the production of locally-produced, thermally-treated wood products using blue wood and low-value timber collected from forests of the Mission Mountains and throughout the Northern Rockies. By utilizing low-value timber, MMWIP will provide a new business model for restoration efforts needed to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risks. Through the installation of a new Moldrup-SSP18 plant for hydro-thermal treatment of wood, MMWIP will produce innovative, affordable, and environmentally-friendly soft (and hard) wood products entirely on-site at the TWU facility. Products will include blue wood siding, decking, and bridge timbers for use by CSKT, USFS, and contractors in and around Flathead Lake and in environmental reconstruction projects in the region. MMWIP will contribute to forest health by creating economic incentives for clearing marginally-valued trees, and hence, the reducing the risks of catastrophic stand-replacing wildfires. By recruiting, training, and employing Tribal members, descendants, and non-Native youth, MMWIP will contribute to creating jobs and improving the economy on the Flathead Reservation.