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LINCOLN- The Helena National Forest Service has contracted the logging of the Old Lincoln Townsite and Cemetery and even in the winter, crews are removing hazardous trees while also saving taxpayers money.

Unlike traditional timber sale contracts, the removal of beetle killed trees is critical because these type of hazardous tree removal projects can be dangerous especially when the winds blows.

"There's some ponderosa in there, but most of it is the lodgepole pine. It's just unfortunate that we had the beetle for so long. So it's just a safety feature that we have to take on," Helena National Forest Service contracting officer Rick Henningson explained.

He added it's critical to not only remove the trees but also preserve the historic nature of the the old Lincoln townsite. The original mining town was established in 1865 after the discovery of placer gold and its cemetery still sits atop a hill, along with other historic remnants and artifacts.

"Back in here there's all kinds of foundations of homes and there was a post office in this clearing. So it's those kinds of things we are trying to protect," Helena National Forest Archaeologist Kyle McGuire says.

The Helena National Forest contracted the services of Barry Smith, who has been in the timber industry for 30 years in order to preserve the historic value of the property.

Smith owns and operates one of two special "long-reaching " pieces of tree removal equipment. "We had this machine built about 4 ½ years ago I guess. The boom was built by Jewel. It's a 70 foot reach. We've been removing hazard trees on both sides of the roads," Smith told us.

With a crew of about 12 people using the latest modern logging equipment, the project is expected to take about two weeks to complete and after they are felled, stacked, skidded and decked, they are ready to be hauled off to market.

An estimated 250,000 feet of former bug infested timber or about 50 truckloads will be removed off the historic site and will be hauled to Deer Lodge or Missoula.

"The logs are not worth very much, but they do cover the cost of the projects," said Smith. The U.S. Forest Service doesn't have to pay Smith and in return for his work, Smith gets to keep the logs.

The Helena National Forest has about 400 miles of roadside projects that will be contracted for harvest in 2012.