BBER PUBLICATIONS SEARCH RESULTS

This report takes a journey through all aspects of housing markets ? dealing with demand, supply, and market outcomes. We have also included a section on needs for affordable housing and how those needs are being addressed.

This economic impact study report produced by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) - University of Montana and funded in part by a grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation considers the potential economic impact of a state of Montana Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.
The report highlights the opportunity to use a state of Montana LIHTC program meant to "piggy back" on the Federal LIHTC program to leverage currently underutilized federal LIHTC resources and related private investment to develop and preserve additional affordable rental housing to address community housing needs across Montana.

This report details the findings of an analysis of the factors and trends that impact the affordability of residential housing in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, home of the state capital, Helena. To foster a better understanding of the forces producing this outcome and inform the discussion on policies and decisions that could meaningfully affect affordability in the near future, we report on three fundamental aspects of local housing affordability. First is an assessment of the County''s affordability trends, emphasizing the rural portion of the County that overlaps with the area affected by the ten-acre minimum lot size restriction. Second is a projection of the growth of households in Lewis and Clark County and affected area one major factor in housing demand. Lastly, this report reviews the impacts of minimum lot size restrictions in other parts of the United States to see how this policy might impact the costs of new and existing housing units in the County.

Despite the challenges of closed borders, schools and businesses, travelers set records in Montana''s state and national parks.

With few affordable homes available for households earning a low income, many are being priced out of housing markets.

Do counties with access to ski resorts, open space or national parks have greater economic growth and prosperity in the long run?

A review of U.S. Forest Service land management accomplishments, budget and litigation since complying with the National Environment Policy Act.

The purpose of the 2018-2019 U.S.D.A. Forest Service Region 1 Social Surveys was to examine: 1) perceptions of the purpose for federal public lands; 2) views about possible management actions on those lands; 3) opinions about possible concerns regarding federal public lands; 4) frequency of self-reported activities on federal public lands; and 5) opinions about the quantity of services provided on federal public lands. The 2019 survey is an extension of the 2018 survey which was designed to help policy-makers and planners quantify public opinions about federal public lands that are close to the home of Region 1 residents.

As in many western communities with a timber heritage, the forest industry in Ravalli County in southwestern Montana has undergone dramatic changes, growing substantially in the decades after World War II and contracting since the 1990s (Keegan et al. 2006). Just 17 primary wood products facilities were operating in Ravalli County during 2014 (Hayes and Morgan 2017) and capacity to process timber was 13 million board feet (MMBF) Scribner, with the majority of that capacity in the log home sector. By contrast, in 1988 the county?s 29 active facilities had a capacity of 91 MMBF ? seven times larger than today.

The U.S. Forest Service hopes to improve forest health and reduce wildfires with increased timber harvests.

The purpose of the 2018 U.S.D.A. Forest Service Region 1 Social Survey is to examine: ? perceptions of the purpose for federal public lands; ? views about possible management actions on those lands; ? opinions about possible concerns regarding federal public lands; ? frequency of self-reported activities on federal public lands; and ? opinions about the quantity of services provided on federal public lands. The survey is designed to help policy-makers and planners quantify public opinions about federal public lands that are close to the home of Region 1 residents. The mail and internet-administered survey provides U.S.D.A. Forest Service a rigorous, representative sample by which to gauge current public opinion. The survey was constructed to act as a benchmark that would allow possible future exploration of trends in public sentiment regarding federal public lands in U.S.D.A. Forest Service Region 1.

Buying a house in Montana can be hard. A recent Gallup study found 45 percent of Montanans were dissatisfied with the availability of good affordable housing. Can we make housing affordable in Montana?

Missoula is a great place - the natural beauty and wealth of available activities are two aspects that have brought consistent population growth to the area. But a large proportion of Missoula households, both renters and owners, are financially burdened by the costs of housing.

Record visitation is taking its toll on Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. While national park managers were prepared for a good year, many were trying to respond to an unprecedented increase in visitation that simply did not stop.

The 2015 Missoula Area Transportation Survey provides the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), citizens of the City of Missoula and Missoula County, and area policy makers with information about Missoula area residents? opinions regarding the area transportation system and area residents? use of the area transportation system. The particular tool used to obtain this information, a rigorously conducted, randomly sampled survey enables the MPO to obtain reliable estimates of the proportion of the area population that holds various opinions and who use various aspects of the transportation system.

Montana''s forest industry is comprised of more than 80 active facilities that manufacture a variety of wood products. The industry receives its raw material - timber - from forests both inside and outside the state, relying on landowners, foresters, loggers and truck drivers to provide that timber year after year. Montana mills sell their forest products into local, national and international markets. Throughout this supply chain, from forest to mill to final consumer, there are numerous uncertainties and constant changes in both timber supply and wood products demand.

This report provides information on the agency costs and other impacts associated with litigation of forest management projects in the Northern Region (i.e., Region One) of the Forest Service (FS) through a combination of literature review, information provided by the agency?s Region One (R1) and Washington offices, and a case study of the Spotted Bear River (SBR) project on the Flathead National Forest. Data to determine the total cost of litigation are not readily available from publicly accessible or even internal databases, and a high level of cooperation is needed from personnel at various levels within the involved agencies in order to determine the costs and other impacts associated with litigation.

For the past five years, we?ve witnessed something of an economic miracle in the eastern third of our state. Even more so in the western third of North Dakota. Towns and communities that were once depopulating and shrinking to the point where their schools and basic institutions were threatened have come roaring back, thanks to the Bakken oil boom. And for the first time in living memory, the rural portions of Montana ? particularly in the east ? were growing faster collectively than any of the urban areas.

Trailhead Commerce Park is a rail-accessible industrial development project located in Lockwood, Montana, that is intended to serve manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and other commercial business development. As it is conceived by its developers, its location adjacent to the BNSF/MRL rail line, bisected by the proposed Billings bypass roadway, and situated in the strategically well-positioned Billings market area, would make it an attractive candidate for business expansion. Its successful construction and development could be a major economic event for the Billings and southeastern Montana economies.

Running a ranch with vast landscapes and numerous livestock can be complicated, but a UM student has a technology that he thinks will make ranching more sustainable and profitable. And his business venture is promising enough that he was selected as a finalist at Blackstone Launchpad''s recent Demo Day in New York City

The Department of Revenue revalues - or reappraises - residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and forest properties once every six years. The department uses three approaches to valuing property: sales comparison, cost, and income.

Vacation homes are a major part of several Montana communities, and the numbers have increased; however, most of the growth occurred before the recession. Sales of vacation homes have been nearly nonexistent the last couple of years.

This is the sixth annual report to the community on housing in the city and county of Missoula. This report provides a gauge of the overall health of Missoula real estate and indicates real estate''s impacts on the overall local economy.

Four-wheeling through mud, snow, and woodsy trails continues to grow in popularity in Montana, with the state''s off-highway vehicle (OHV) owners spending nearly $123 million during 2008 and paying more than $1.4 million in to the highway trust fund via gasoline taxes. But a recent survey of OHV recreationists found that the sport is thriving amidst worry from enthusiasts that growth will hamper access because of poor behavior from a few riders.

Management of public lands occurs today with high levels of scrutiny and controversy. To succeed, managers seek the support, involvement, and endorsement of the public. This study examines trust as an indicator of managerial success and attempts to identify and measure the components that most influence it. A review of trust literature yielded 14 attributes that were hypothesized to contribute to trust, grouped into the three dimensions of Shared Norms and Values, Willingness to Endorse, and Perceived Efficacy. Operationalizing these attributes and dimensions, a telephone survey was administered to a sample of Montana, USA, residents living adjacent to the Bitterroot National Forest (n = 1,152). Each of the attributes was measured in the context of federal lands fire and fuel management. Structural equation modeling showed that all 14 attributes were found to be influential contributors to levels of trust. Results suggest that if managers are to maintain or increase levels of public trust, they need to consider each of trust''s attributes as they make social, ecological, and economic resource decisions.

There is a large difference between the views of Missoula City residents and residents of Missoula County who live outside the city on the question of which action would improve Valley transportation more: expanding road capacity or improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Two-thirds (67.5%) of County residents said expanding road capacity would improve transportation more than improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities. However, city residents were evenly split on the issue. 50.3% said expanding road capacity would result in more improvement, while 49.7% said improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities would improve the system more. Missoula Valley residents displayed little change in 2008 when compared to 2000 in how they travelled to work. Missoula Valley residents transportation mode choice in 2008 for all purposes resembles that of the United States as a whole. However, cold weather during survey administration may have been a confounding factor when examining modes like walking, bicycling, and motorcycle riding.

The U.S. Census Bureau is using flawed methodology to produce population estimates at the sub-county level. For Montana, this means the growth of some rural communities is underestimated by as much as 400 percent, while the growth of more urban areas is significantly overestimated. Because population estimates are used to determine over $300 billion in federal funding as well as important policy choices, inaccurate data have significant implications for Montana communities. As chairman of the Federal State Population Cooperative Program for Population Estimates, author James T. Sylvester is working to correct the problem. He explains why the current method doesn''t work in Montana and offers solutions to provide more accurate data.

Nationwide, roughly 6 percent of homes are in developments behind walls and fences. Predominantly out-of-state investment has brought this trend to Montana. In 1990 only 276 houses in Montana were worth $300,000 or more according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2000, the Bureau had to add a whole new category: homes costing $1 million or more. Author Amy Joyner gives readers a glimpse of life in some of Montana''s most luxurious and exclusive communities. From the Yellowstone Club to the Ridge Above Rock Creek, Joyner describes life behind the gates.

Nearly 100 million acres of federal public lands have been granted to the states for the purposes of supporting public education, universities, veterans, public buildings, and similar expenditures. Montana, like many states, chose to sell the land grant lands and use the profits to create permanent investment funds that support school funding by distributing interest earnings. Sale of public lands is controversial and the history of land grants is complex. Tom Schultz tells the story of Montana's land grants and provides insight into what past successes and failures mean for the future.

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research?s most recent surveys suggest that about 8 percent of Montana households include snowmobile recreationists. With an average household size of 2.5, perhaps as many as 85,000 Montanans participate in the sport each winter. Nonresident snowmobilers are also important contributors to the Montana economy. Snowmobiling is a popular, revenue-generating winter activity in Montana.

An in depth look at Utah''s forest products industry in 1992.