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Plum Creek Timber Co. is abandoning a controversial deal brokered with Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, citing strong public opposition.

“Although we continue to believe that the easement amendment would be beneficial to the general public, given the lack of receptivity, we have decided not to go forward with the amendment,” Plum Creek President and CEO Rick Holley wrote Monday, in a letter to Missoula County.

At issue were forest road easements, which allow the Forest Service and Plum Creek to share access across their intermingled lands.

Historically, those easements were thought to be narrow, allowing access for timber hauling only.

But Plum Creek and Rey maintain the historic easements allow for all sorts of access, including residential subdivision. For a year and a half, the company and Rey worked quietly to craft a legal amendment to the old easements that would confirm their position.

In return, Plum Creek agreed to require homeowner associations to share some road costs, and to implement wildfire reduction programs.

But when word of those talks leaked last spring, Missoula County and other critics raised the alarm, saying the amendment would pave the way for wholesale forest development. That would cut off traditional access, they said, and would burden taxpayers with the costs of delivering urban infrastructure and firefighting to Plum Creek’s far-flung neighborhoods.

Both Rey and the company held many meetings over the past six months, attempting to explain their position. Last week, Rey - a political appointee whose term ends with the Bush Administration’s departure - stressed his intent to rule on the matter before leaving office.

But Plum Creek took the matter out of his hands Monday, opting out of the controversial agreement.

“While this action may be disappointing to those who have expressed an interest in the public benefits of the proposed easement amendment,” Holley wrote, “we will continue to work with the U.S. Forest Service on road maintenance issues, including fire management.”

Holley added that public recreational access would continue on company lands; and he stressed that Plum Creek would continue to use forest roads in accordance with the historic easements - which the company still maintains allow for unfettered access.

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