7. Board Appointment - Street Tree CommitteeLarry D. Roberts
E-A
45 Willow Drive ? 0 14 M A,Y 16 Psi 2; 2
Kalispell MT 59901
I CLERK
406-756-6214 — cell 406-253-9368
smalldetails@bresnan.net
City of Kalispell
Parks and Recreation Department
306 First Avenue East
Kalispell MT 59901
May 14, 2014
Dear Mayor Mark Johnson and City Council,
I am applying for the vacant opening on the Street Tree Committee. I come from a third
generation forestry family. My grandfather homesteaded in the Mountain Brook area. As a
native to the Flathead Valley, I was raised with an appreciation for the beauty of trees whether
in the forest or walking home from Hedges School. Each time I drive down the streets of
Kalispell, I am aware of the beautiful trees and how much pride the city takes in maintaining
them.
I have been working in the timber industry for 30 years with the past 10 years focusing on
forest management, silviculture and fuel reduction. I have worked with many landowners to
improve their property by thinning brush, removing diseased trees and enhancing their property
to a park like environment with emphasis on mosaic look, keeping it natural. I encourage
people to take an active part in planning out their property to include wildlife habitats, dust and
noise reduction, windbreaks and privacy barriers. I have written several proposals for grants
and have successfully helped landowners receive financing to complete their projects. These
people have invested a lot into their property and to see them so pleased upon completion of
the project is rewarding.
If I am appointed to the Street Tree Committee I would help our city to continue to improve the
urban forest. I feel that I could bring a lot of knowledge to the committee to accomplish the
goals of the City of Kalispell Parks and Recreation. I can provide references at your request.
Sincerely,
Larry D. Roberts
Keigh Smiley, Forester
650 Wolfpack Way
Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 758-3505 office; (406) 270 8575 cell
To whom it may concern:
I work as a Forester for the US Forest Service and am currently employed on the Flathead
National Forest at the Tally Lake Ranger District. I first worked with Larry Roberts on the Brush Creek
Fire (August of 2007) where I was assigned as a Resource Advisor. Larry's company, LTL forestry, was
contracted for the construction of fire line which included the falling, yarding, and stacking of smaller
diameter fuels. Work also included the falling and decking of some merchantable material. One of
Larry's machines had several innovations he had added that made it very versatile for the restoration of
fire line, stream crossings, and Streamside Management Zones (SMZ's). I worked,closely with Larry for
27 days to achieve forest restoration objectives. Larry worked conscientiously and thoroughly to meet
Forest Service standards and/or engineered specifications. Larry was often asked to work in close
proximity to Forest Service personnel for the purposes of hazard tree removal and exact placement of
restoration materials in stream courses. Larry is a very steady operator and was careful to comply with
all Forest Service safety standards and OSHA regulations. All objectives were completed to a high
degree of quality and in a timely manner.
I am also familiar with work Larry has done on private lands with Roberts Logging. In September
of 2008, 1 worked as a consultant on a salvage logging operation of lands burned by the Skyland Fire.
Roberts Logging was the primary contractor and was responsible for the falling, yarding, processing, and
hauling of all merchantable logs. Non -merchantable material was mostly piled and burned although
some stems were left in place for soilstabilization and nutrient cycling. Larry was responsible for
constructing and deconstructing stream crossings to Montana State standards as outlined by SMZ law,
and exceeded the minimum requirements by working to employ Best Management Practices (BMP's)
whenever applicable. Larry built clean slash piles, scarified designated skid roads, built water bars to
minimize erosion, and established a four log sort on two landings. The fire burned the forest in a
patchwork fashion and the landowners were very concerned with protecting their remaining healthy
trees. Roberts logging completed all work with minimum damage to the residual timber, protected the
three active water courses on the property, and ensured all equipment was kept clean to prevent the
spread of noxious weeds. Additionally, Roberts logging worked with the landowners to protect their
improvements, survey monuments, utilities, and public road ways. Larry was asked to shovel -log two
loads of trees on a steep hill and place them in a tight deck between a road and a fence under low
hanging power lines; this work was completed without incident. Roberts logging fulfilled all the
specified requirements of the contract and work was completed in a timely manner.
In my experience, Larry has been easy to communicate with and clearly provides leadership in
his work groups. The skills Larry demonstrates can only be learned from a lifetime of experience on the
ground. Larry is a safe and professional operator. Most importantly, Larry has an innate sense of the
requirements of each job and he will do whatever it takes to get the job done right. I would highly
recommend Larry as a contractor for a wide range of work in natural resource management.
Sincerely, 1
o°,
March 10, 2009
To whom it may concern:
I worked with Roberts Logging during the fall of 2006 and the summer and fall of 2007
and 2008 and LTL Forestry in the summer and fall of 2008 as the Forest Officer on the
West Fork Timber Sale, This is a large and unique timber sale as it has many steep areas
and blind leads which required temporary skid trails and landings to facilitate cable
logging.
The West Fork Timber Sale is a good sale to judge an operator on as it has many
challenges such as timing restrictions, operating in snow 4 and 5 feet deep, and steep
brushy terrain with blind leads. Roberts Logging has tackled all these facets with a good
attitude. I appreciated how they communicated with me and strove to meet -or exceed my
requests in completing this contract,
LTL Forestry asks good questions to ensure he understands the task required and follows
up with first-rate work. An example of this was two temporary roads on slopes between
20% and 60% which were required to be put back to contour. LTL Forestry did -an
excellent job of returning these roads to their near original slope while incorporating lots
slash to give this rehabilitation a very natural appearance.
Finally, Roberts Logging and LTL Forestry have a good attitudes and do quality work, It
is for these reasons that I look forward to working with both Roberts Logging and LTL
Forestry again this summer to complete the West Fork Timber Sale,
Dave Ring
Forest Management Specialist
Stillwater State Forest
PO Box 164
Olney, Montana 59927
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
(406) 881-2371