Idaho is planning to work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to significantly boost logging and timber sales from National Forest trees in the Gem State.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) and fellow Idahoan, Chief of the Forest Service Tom Schultz, announced the renewal of the state’s Shared Stewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service.
The state and federal entity have had an agreement in place since 2018, but the new one comes with goals such as to roughly double current timber sales from National Forest land to 100 million board feet annually within five years.
Little, Schultz and Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller emphasized that the idea is to reduce wildfire risk.
“This broader approach allows us to reduce fuels at a meaningful scale, protecting communities, improving forest health, strengthening local economies,” Little said at a press conference. “I deeply value our partnership as we work to prevent devastating fires, protect property and safeguard Idaho.”
Schultz said the goals in the updated agreement align with President Donald Trump’s “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” executive order issued in March that directs federal agencies to pursue ways to boost logging production and timber sales from federal lands.
Officials in the USDA, where the Forest Service is housed, are predicting a 25% increase in the volume of timber product sales over the next four years, Schultz said.
The Forest Service is providing about $4 million upfront to ramp up the effort, he said, and the boosted timber sales are expected to cover ongoing costs. Other goals include working with private landowners to create fuel breaks and reduce fuels in areas where people live close to the wildland interface.
The Idaho Department of Lands has developed a map of priority areas for logging and other fuel reduction, such as prescribed burns. Forested areas near McCall and in north Idaho around Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint are among the primary focus areas.
The agreement also includes plans to use the revenue from timber sales for fish and wildlife habitat restoration, tree replanting, and recreation improvements.
Idaho is facing a projected budget shortfall of about $58 million for the current fiscal year, and a roughly $600 million deficit in the next fiscal year. Agencies are not expected to be able to increase staffing or request new employees during the upcoming legislative session. Miller said the state lands department has unique authority to be able to hire foresters to scale up activities if the income from it is sufficient.
Miller said the plan is to “bring on additional foresters to grow the program commensurate to the need.”
Schultz says Forest Service staffing is stable, conservation leaders worry it’s not enough
The partnership will be executed by federal, state, Tribal and private land managers or forest owners.
Around 40% of Idaho’s land is forested, and nearly 90% of that forest land is owned and managed by the USFS.
A group of Democratic U.S. senators from mostly western states wrote to Shultz questioning if the Forest Service was doing enough to reduce wildfire fuels, Boise State Public Radio reported. The federal lawmakers’ letter came after an analysis from the advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Firefighters that found a nearly 40% drop in fuel reduction projects compared to previous years.
Idaho and federal authorities have worked closely together since 2015, when the state implemented “Good Neighbor Authority” agreements to use state personnel and resources to assist with federal management.
Little said the Shared Stewardship agreement uses the Good Neighbor Authority model and expands the cooperation across Idaho’s landscape, regardless of ownership.
“Both models allow the state of Idaho, through our Idaho Department lands, to help get more work done on the ground,” Little said.
Idaho Conservation League Public Lands and Wildlife Director John Robison said that the collaborative approach to reducing wildfire fuels in Idaho has been largely successful. The challenge has been to ensure that timber activity doesn’t return to the “timber wars of yesteryear,” he said.
He said a key component will be to avoid old growth trees.
“There is an overabundance of small- and medium-sized trees on the National Forest in Idaho that wouldn’t otherwise be there, if not for decades of fire suppression,” Robison said. “And these overstock stands could actually benefit from some targeted thinning and prescribed fire. Those activities can both improve forest health and protect communities if they’re combined with hazardous fuel reduction efforts on private property.”
Robison attributed Idaho’s success in this area to robust public participation. However, recent changes under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA, may limit opportunities for public comment.
This summer, federal agencies, including the USDA, proposed regulation updates that include options to expedite environmental reviews and reduce or eliminate chances for the public to weigh in.
“The public is in danger of being shut out from decisions made on our National Forests,” Robison said, “at a time when that is a core component for successful restoration and management.” — Laura Guido, Idaho Capital Sun
Republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
