Idaho Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy - Final Documents
On this page:
• Final Documents in PDF Format Available for Download
• Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources
• Statewide Forest Resource Strategy
• Process
Final Idaho Assessment and Strategy Documents
<< State Assessment of Forest Resources (17 MB)
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Statewide Forest Resource Strategy (12 MB) >>
Background and Purpose
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service provides funding and other support to states for programs to improve the health, productivity, benefits and extent of state, private and urban forests. The programs this funding supports—including Forest Health, State Fire Assistance (including National Fire Plan), Volunteer Fire Assistance (including National Fire Plan), Forest Stewardship, Urban and Community Forestry, Conservation Education and Forest Legacy—are referred to as State and Private Forestry (S&PF) Programs. The 2008 Farm Bill and a “redesign” of State and Private Forestry programs require that each state develop a Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources (SAFR) and accompanying Statewide Forest Resource Strategy (SFRS) across all ownerships as a requisite to receive federal funding. The primary purpose is development of a plan that will guide State and Private Forestry investments in Idaho to ensure that federal resources focus on landscape areas with the greatest opportunity to address shared priorities and achieve measurable outcomes.
A parallel purpose is to help landowners and managers in Idaho better recognize and support opportunities where working together and leveraging limited resources can address multiple critical issues of statewide importance in the areas where doing so will have the greatest impact. Stakeholders can use it to support requests and proposals for resources necessary to implement the strategies and to develop local and statewide collaborative frameworks for implementation.
It is important to recognize that the Idaho SAFR and SFRS do not replace existing strategic or management plans for any agency, organization or individual, nor do they imply any lands not included in a Priority Landscape Area (PLA) or the listed strategies are unimportant. They contain large-scale strategies and are not intended to identify all the issues or actions any land manager may feel are most important on the lands they manage. Rather, they identify opportunities for willing partners to align their plans, leverage resources, and work together within the PLAs and per the strategies as a way to gain the greatest value from limited resources in areas where multiple issues of statewide importance are found.
Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources
The Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources (SAFR) is a geospatial analysis of forest conditions and trends in Idaho. The Idaho SAFR identifies seven main issues affecting Idaho forestlands (threats and potential benefits). Threats to forests include forest health decline, uncharacteristic wildfire, development pressure and recreation in undesignated areas. Potential benefits include sustainable wood-based forest resource markets, water quality & quantity, air quality, and wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Statewide data and local knowledge identified areas in Idaho where these threats and benefits pointed to the highest need for investment and work. These areas of multiple high priority concerns and potential benefits were designated as Priority Landscape Areas (PLAs) and include urban, rural, and wildland urban-interface (WUI) lands.
Note that the SAFR utilized the best available statewide data. Because the SAFR is statewide in scale, it does not identify every area in which an issue may be found. Local geospatial data may present a different characterization of the issues.
In addition to the document found at the top of the page, information on the development of the SAFR, including meeting minutes, interim reports and more can be found on the SAFR website at: www.idl.idaho.gov/bureau/ForestAssist/safr_index.html.
Stakeholders can also use the individual issue maps from the SAFR to identify where these are highest priority, and to inform and support specific strategies, resources or actions necessary to address them.
Statewide Forest Resource Strategy
The Statewide Forest Resource Strategy (SFRS) is a long-term, comprehensive, coordinated strategy for investing state, federal, and leveraged partner resources. It addresses the issues and priority landscape areas identified in the Statewide Assessment. The SFRS is statewide in scope. It is not a site-specific plan.
Together, the SAFR and SFRS will help provide focus to landowners, agencies, collaborative groups, and partnership efforts in identifying projects and activities to reduce threats to, and increase the benefits of, Idaho’s forestlands. From communities to rural forestlands, focusing work in the highest priority areas allows leveraging of funds and coordination across ownerships as a highly effective way to address the most critical forest resource issues in Idaho at a scale where significant, positive changes can be realized. In addition to the document found at the top of the page, information on SFRS development, including the timeline and tasks, meeting notes and more can be found on the Idaho SFRS website at http://www.idl.idaho.gov/bureau/ForestAssist/sfrs_index.html.
Process
>> Resource Strategy Process Document (PDF)
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) led the effort to develop a comprehensive SAFR and accompanying SFRS through a collaborative process involving representatives from federal and state agencies, counties, non-governmental organizations, S&PF program advisory groups, tribes, interest groups, and private citizens. Three primary teams were formed to craft the SAFR and SFRS: a broad stakeholder group (Stakeholders) and two smaller core teams (Core Teams) made up of a cross section of the Stakeholders—one which helped with the assessment and the other with the Strategy.
The Core Teams collected and analyzed data, interviewed managers and landowners, and brought together information to develop the draft and final SAFR and SFRS. The Stakeholders helped steer the process, reviewed the work of the Core Teams, and provided comments, suggestions, and guidance throughout the process. Development of the SFRS involved several video-conference meetings with agency and partner personnel from the SAFR-identified Priority Landscape Areas. During these meetings, the Core Strategy Team shared information from the SAFR and asked the local representatives to further characterize the issues and conditions of the area and share plans and strategies they felt were the most important for these areas. This team then synthesized the information and, working with the Stakeholders, developed a cohesive five-year strategy for Idaho.
It is imperative to recognize that the SFRS is an iterative document and a dynamic process. Resources and priorities evolve as new information becomes available and conditions in Idaho’s forests change. This document will be updated periodically to reflect adjustments and remain relevant and useful, and a new assessment and strategy completed at five-year intervals.
