Timber Roots - Rick Trembath

By Tim McEntire

On a hot July afternoon, I navigated my way just outside of Bigfork to meet up with this issues subject of Timber Roots.  As I turned into the property, the first thing you will notice is a beautifully managed stand of Doug Fir, Larch and Ponderosa Pine.  The property has had fire introduced to it in spots and finding a Doug Fir infested with mistletoe is a difficult task.  Without a doubt, the owners of this property know what they are doing when it comes to managing a forest.

Rick Trembath was born in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in 1948.  Being one of seven children, Rick moved to Northern Minnesota a year later to the town of Tower.  Rick spent his early years involved in the Boy Scouts, eventually reaching the rank of Eagle Scout.  As fate would have it, his scout master was a state forester.  Rick’s father was a hard rock underground miner and when looking at his options of what he wanted to spend his life doing, forestry was an easy choice.  Rick attended Vermillion State Community College for two years and finished out getting his degree in forestry at University of Minnesota in 1970.  1970 was a difficult period in the country.  Vietnam protests were rampant and because of the Kent State shootings, the University of Minnesota shut down campus three weeks before graduation. It was during his time in college that Rick’s lifelong career in firefighting would begin.  

Hotshot crews originated on the National Forests in Southern California in the late 1940s. They were called “Hotshot” crews because they worked on a wildfires’ hottest areas of wildfires.  The crews consisted of athletic men who had a forestry interest.  At the ripe age of 18, Rick would join the newly established Flathead Hotshot crew for the summer of 1967.  With his experience in forestry and hauling water hose for his scout master, the hotshot crew was a natural fit.  Being in its second year, the newly established crew was still trying to figure out how things worked and what their role would be.  Rick worked with the crew during his time through college eventually becoming squad boss in his third year.

The Flathead Forest knew Rick well through his time on the Hotshot crew and offered him a timber sale prep job on the forest.  On June 15th, 1970 one day after his graduation from college Rick would be employed by the Flathead Forest as a Forest Tech GS 4.  His first assignment was to camp out at Truman Saddle drainage all summer laying out the Dayton Ronan timber sale.  The sale was large, especially by today’s standards.  During these early years, no electronics were available.  Everything was done by hand from layout to mapping.  In the early days, employees were expected to do a little bit of everything.  Rick found himself thinning, doing timber stand improvements, opening trails, planting trees, and even building maintenance.  The crews would go to were the work was mostly staying on the Flathead but work details would also include areas as far away as Alaska.  Work was seasonal and being laid off because of snow was expected every year.  Rick was assigned to the Swan Lake District which had a bunk house which he called home until he bought his current property in 1972. 

In the late 70’s, Rick was given the small sales program often which included green slip sales.  This program is remembered as a tool to salvage small patches of dying, dead or blow down timber and clean up the forest but it was only one part of the program.  Everything from post and poles, boughs for Christmas wreathes and even harvesting Yew Brush. The green slip sale program kept several small loggers in business and was an easy and effective way to clean up the forest and generate funds.  There was lots of work and Rick was busy making the most out of the program.

With NEPA restrictions, work would slow down.  Doing the right thing on the ground became more and more difficult so after over 30 years, Rick retired from the Forest Service in July of 2003.  Within a week, he found himself on the Wedge Canyon Fire working for Flathead County.  With his fire experience, Rick was tasked with structure protection.  His “retirement” would consist of him signing up with the DNRC working on fires from 2003 until 2022.  Countless fire fighters have benefited from Rick’s knowledge, keeping them safe and productive on the fire line.  Rick’s career would always be focused on training with application out in the field.

Rick has always been dedicated to his community.  His accomplishments include serving on his local Bigfork Fire Department for over 30 years with 5 of those being Chief.  Rick noted that in the early years, many members of the department consisted of men from the Swan Lake Ranger district of the Flathead Forest.  He helped establish the Flathead Audubon Society chapter in the early 70’s and has been an adjunct professor at Flathead Valley Community College for over a decade.  Rick is well known for his lectures on fire history that he gives several times throughout the year and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to fire history in the Flathead.  He has also provided training for MLA’s RT-130 class for several years training thousands of loggers that spend time every year on fires.  Rick noted that during his career he was able to save at least 8 homes, something any of us could be proud of.

Rick’s personal life has been a success also.  He married his wife Nancy in 1977.  Nancy’s father was a 46-year seasonal ranger for the park service.  The marriage has produced two children, (Laura and Paula), and four grandchildren.  The couple are currently building their “retirement” cottage on their beautiful property south of Bigfork as Paula is moving her family back to the homestead to live in the family log home that Rick built for the family many years ago.

As I finished up my afternoon with Rick sitting in his woodshop/office, I looked around the tidy space.  Hanging on the walls are numerous plaques and awards.  Rick has had a successful career spanning several years and across different agencies.  There is little doubt that his tireless work and dedication to not only the industry but his community have firmly planted his Timber Roots.