Category: All News Releases
Celebrating the Contributions of Stephen Drinkard
The IDL Community Forestry program recently lost one of its long time contributors and community forestry assistant. Stephen Drinkard passed away in October. Drinkard served as the North Idaho community forestry assistant for many years. In this role, Mr Drinkard assisted Idaho’s northern communities with tree ordinance development, tree management planning, and technical assistance with any tree-related projects.
Stephen was a true renaissance man from his time playing baseball in city leagues in Southern California to earning his MA in English literature from UCLA and MA in adult education from the University of Idaho. Stephen served as Sandpoint’s grant administrator from 1999 to 2012 and secured $13 of grant funding for every dollar they paid him through his years of service.
The IDL Community Forestry program owes a great debt to Mr. Drinkard for his many years of service to the program and his constant assistance to Northern Idaho cities like Sandpoint. A full dedication for Stephen can be found in the Sandpoint Reader here.
Meridian Urban Wood Reclamation Project
Like many tree programs, Meridian’s Community Forestry program deals with a lot of “waste” wood. Much of the wood removed from the declining mature trees in our urban forests can be used numerous craftsman projects.
Meridian’s City Arborist, Matt Perkins, reclaimed the lumber from a silver maple the city removed in 2017. The maple was planted in Meridian’s Centennial Park in 1936. The tree provided shade and improved air quality for Meridian citizens for over 80 years.
The maple was removed due to an overall decline in health. Matt and his team made picnic tables for the city’s fire stations instead of sending the tree’s lumber to the landfill.
Forest Health Update: Bark Beetles May Attack Trees After Winter Storms
By Erika Eidson
IDL Forest Health Specialist
Damaging winter storms across northern Idaho this season mean forested areas are more susceptible to infestations of certain bark beetles this spring.
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) forest health officials want forest landowners to know that trees uprooted or broken in the storm can become infested by bark beetles as the weather warms up this spring.
The beetles can build up populations in fresh, damaged logs and then attack and kill neighboring healthy trees. However, taking certain steps can minimize the damage.
The risk of bark beetle attack and the recommended management actions differ depending on which tree species have been damaged. The size of damaged trees also impacts their susceptibility to bark beetle attack. Dead trees do not pose a bark beetle threat, only green trees and logs damaged within the past winter are cause for concern.
Pines: and pine slash larger than three inches in diameter can be infested by the pine engraver beetle (Ips beetles). Pine engraver beetles infest wind-thrown trees and slash in April and May, laying eggs that develop into adults and emerge in June of the same year. Beetles that emerge in June often attack adjacent live pines.
Douglas-fir: particularly large-diameter logs, can be infested by Douglas-fir beetle. Beetles infesting damaged Douglas-fir in the spring will produce offspring that take a year to develop, emerging to attack additional Douglas-fir trees in the spring of 2022. Down, large-diameter western larch are also susceptible to attack by Douglas-fir beetle, but live, standing larch are rarely attacked.
Engelmann spruce: can be infested by spruce beetle, especially if logs are large-diameter. Spruce beetles take one or more years to develop, depending on temperature, before emerging to attack additional standing spruce trees. Spruce beetles can attack ornamental species like Norway or blue spruce, but these are infrequent hosts.
These bark beetle species are highly attracted to the moist tissue under the bark of wind-thrown trees, broken tops, and logs.
The best option to reduce beetle infestations is to remove damaged trees. If there are not enough trees to economically salvage, consider safely burning or chipping, or removing branches and cutting green logs into smaller pieces.
If chipping in spring, do not pile chips near the base of standing trees since their odors can be attractive to bark beetles for a short period of time. Spread chips out in the sun, or chip in late summer or fall if possible. Down, large-diameter western larch are also susceptible to attack by Douglas-fir beetle, but live, standing larch are rarely attacked.
Forest owners can hasten the drying of logs and green wood by spreading them in a sunny area before beetles fly in the spring. Leaving damaged trees or decks of green logs in shady areas increases the chances that they will be infested. DO NOT stack green firewood next to live standing trees. The idea is to reduce the number of places for the damaging beetles to breed and then kill live trees.
In pines, quick action is necessary since beetles can emerge from damaged pine materials as early as June, 2021. Large-diameter logs of Douglas-fir, western larch, and spruce will not pose a threat until spring, 2022.
These logs can be bucked and split this spring or summer and left to dry out and kill any developing beetles before they emerge next spring. Infested materials can also be removed, chipped, or burned during the winter of 2021-2022.
Pheromone repellent pouches called MCH are an additional tool to ward off Douglas-fir beetle. These pouches can be stapled to susceptible down logs in April, 2021, and will prevent infestation by Douglas-fir beetle by tricking beetles into thinking the logs have already been fully attacked.
If down logs cannot be treated this April and become infested, surrounding stands can be protected with MCH applied to nearby standing trees in April, 2022. MCH is very effective at protecting Douglas-fir trees, but it will not work to protect pines and has limited effectiveness in protecting spruce. For additional information about using pheromones, please contact the IDL forest health team at (208) 769-1525.
More information on Idaho forest health is available here. IDL Private Forestry Specialists also are available in offices across the region to assist forest landowners. Information about landowner assistance is available here.
Before the Wind Blows
Cleaning up after a weather event can mean dealing with large amounts of wood and brush. A plan can assist in making sure the wood goes to the best use and helps to offset the cost of cleanup.
If you live in a region that has a strong timber industry, establishing relationships with mills before a natural disaster can help you get your logs into the mill after a disaster. Knowing the log buyer at the mill and their procedures for accepting urban wood will help get urban wood utilized on a regular basis not just after a disaster.
Post Falls’ wood utilization plan includes chipping brush to be used in mulch rings, getting native conifer logs to a local mill, and working with Cannon Hill Industries, a local wood recycler, to deal with root balls and trunk wood that is not going to make a log.
Many communities need to deal with trees that cannot be brought to a traditional mill. The Urban Wood Network is an organization that is dedicated to building national awareness of the urban wood market by bringing together urban wood efforts, providing leadership, and sharing information. Visit their website at: https://urbanwoodnetwork.org/.
You can view webinars and see how other municipalities and campuses have set up wood utilization programs. Nick Goodwin is the Urban Forester for the City of Coeur d’Alene; Nick will be purchasing a Wood Mizer mill to be used in his program to repurpose urban wood into lumber that can be used in park projects.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Come spring, bark beetles may attack trees damaged in winter storms
(COEUR D’ALENE) – Damaging winter storms across northern Idaho this season mean forested areas are more susceptible to infestations of certain bark beetles this spring. Photo by JD Reeves.
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) forest health officials want forest landowners to know that trees uprooted or broken during storms can become infested by bark beetles as the weather warms. The beetles can build up populations in fresh, damaged logs and then attack and kill neighboring healthy trees. However, taking certain steps can minimize the damage.
The risk of bark beetle attack and the recommended management actions differ depending on which tree species has been damaged. The size of damaged trees also impacts their susceptibility to bark beetles. Dead trees are not at risk for infestation, only green trees and logs damaged within the past winter are cause for concern.
Pines and pine slash larger than three inches in diameter can be infested by the pine engraver beetle (Ips beetles). Pine engraver beetles infest wind-thrown trees and slash in April and May, laying eggs that develop into adults and emerge in June of the same year. Beetles that emerge in June often attack adjacent live pines.
Douglas-fir, particularly large-diameter logs, can be infested by Douglas-fir beetle. Beetles infesting damaged Douglas-fir in the spring will produce offspring that take a year to develop, emerging to attack additional Douglas-fir trees in the spring of 2022. Down, large-diameter western larch are also susceptible to attack by Douglas-fir beetle, but live, standing larch are rarely attacked.
Engelmann spruce can be infested by spruce beetle, especially if logs are large-diameter. Spruce beetles take one or more years to develop, depending on temperature, before emerging to attack additional standing spruce trees. Spruce beetles can attack ornamental species like Norway or blue spruce, but these are infrequent hosts.
These bark beetle species are highly attracted to the moist tissue under the bark of wind-thrown trees, broken tops, and logs.
The best option to reduce beetle infestations is to remove damaged trees. If there are not enough trees to economically salvage, consider safely burning or chipping, or removing branches and cutting green logs into smaller pieces. If chipping in spring, do not pile chips near the base of standing trees since their odors can be attractive to bark beetles for a short period of time. Spread chips out in the sun, or chip in late summer or fall if possible.
Forest owners can hasten the drying of logs and green wood by spreading them in a sunny area before beetles fly in the spring. Leaving damaged trees or decks of green logs in shady areas increases the chances that they will be infested. DO NOT stack green firewood next to live standing trees. The idea is to reduce the number of places for the damaging beetles to breed and then kill live trees.
In pines, quick action is necessary since beetles can emerge from damaged pine materials as early as June, 2021. Large-diameter logs of Douglas-fir, western larch, and spruce will not pose a threat until spring, 2022. These logs can be bucked and split this spring or summer and left to dry out and kill any developing beetles before they emerge next spring. Infested materials can also be removed, chipped, or burned during the winter of 2021-2022.
Pheromone repellent pouches called MCH are an additional tool to ward off Douglas-fir beetle. These pouches can be stapled to susceptible down logs in April, 2021, and will prevent infestation by Douglas-fir beetle by tricking beetles into thinking the logs have already been fully attacked. If down logs cannot be treated this April and become infested, surrounding stands can be protected with MCH applied to nearby standing trees in April, 2022. MCH is very effective at protecting Douglas-fir trees, but it will not work to protect pines and has limited effectiveness in protecting spruce. For additional information about using pheromones, please contact the IDL forest health team at (208) 769-1525.
More information on Idaho forest health is available here. IDL Private Forestry Specialists also are available in offices across the region to assist forest landowners. Information about landowner assistance is available here.
Additional FAQs
What are bark beetles? Bark beetles are a group of insects that spend almost their entire life beneath the bark of trees. They tunnel in the moist inner bark, lay eggs and these develop into larvae or grubs. The tunneling kills trees by girdling them (cuts off the supply of nutrients). Adults emerge later to infest other trees in late spring or early summer. For more information, please see the IDL bark beetle fact sheet.
Certain bark beetles can reproduce in green logs, uprooted trees and green firewood if the inner bark is moist in April and May.
Bark beetles are cold blooded, so they will develop faster during warm weather. Drought and hot, dry summers are stressful for trees and increase the success of bark beetles.
What species cause the most problems?
Pine engraver prefers damaged ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees and slash. It has multiple generations per year. Pine engraver overwinters as an adult, and flies early in the spring as temperatures warm. It infests green pine logs > 3” diameter in April and May and lays eggs. These eggs develop into adults approximately 6 weeks later. The emerging adults will infest more down material if it is available; if none is available they will attack standing trees in July. Normally, the eggs laid in these standing trees develop into adults that overwinter. Dead trees can occur in summer, 2021. For more information, please see the IDL pine engraver fact sheet.
Douglas-fir beetle can infest damaged Douglas-fir or down western larch. This species has one generation per year. It overwinters as an adult, and flies early in the spring and prefers green, down material. Beetles tunnel in the bark, lay eggs and one generation of larvae develop in the logs or down trees. Adults then overwinter under the bark or in the forest litter. Dead trees can occur in 2022. For more information, please see the IDL Douglas-fir beetle fact sheet.
Spruce beetle can attack damaged spruce and takes one or two years to develop in infested logs, depending on temperature. Spruce beetle outbreaks can be very severe if many host trees are present. Dead trees can occur in 2022, but needles on fatally-attacked trees may remain green for longer.
What is the best way to avoid problems? The best course of action is to NOT have down, green material available in spring when the bark beetles emerge. If logs become infested, remove or destroy them before beetles can emerge.
Forest Landowners: If there are enough damaged trees to economically salvage, that is the best option.
What if I am a landowner in an urban or suburban area? Some counties or municipalities will accept woody material at transfer stations or landfills. The material is often chipped to be used for other purposes such as mulch or industrial fuel.
If you can’t remove the damaged trees or slash, try to make them unsuitable for bark beetle reproduction. If salvage is not practical, damaged trees can be safely burned if allowed, debarked or chipped. Planer chainsaw attachments, such as the LogWizard, can be effective tools for bark removal. If this is not practical, broken tops or uprooted trees can be cut into smaller pieces and the limbs removed. Placing them in sunny areas will assist the drying process. The idea is to help the logs to dry out as quickly as possible.
Can I save the wood for use as firewood? If the species is not pine, firewood cut into 16” pieces and split may be infested by beetles this spring, but it is unlikely that any beetles will emerge in 2022. This is not the best option for pine because beetles will infest the wood and emerge around June, 2021. Never stack green firewood next to live standing trees. This is inviting bark beetles to kill the standing trees when they emerge.
Decks of green logs stored through the winter are very likely to become infested in the spring if the inner bark is still moist. Snow cover and shade will increase the drying time.
Media Contact
Erika Eidson
Forest Health Specialist
Idaho Department of Lands
3284 W. Industrial Loop
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Office (208) 769-1525
Desk (208) 666-8625
Plan the Work, Work the Plan
By Gerry Bates
Southern Idaho Community Forestry Assistant
Successful management of the community forest is based on an effective management plan. We all know the benefits of trees to our community. Trees purify our water and remove pollutants from our air. They are essential for soil conservation in windy areas and can also aid in energy conservation in both summer and winter.
Trees also provide beauty for our landscapes and a place to cool a sun-warmed brow. They are necessary for shelter and food for wildlife. These things are just a few of the benefits that can be accomplished through community forest management.
Effective community forestry programs are based on well-defined goals and objectives. Usually, the first step is to establish a legally constituted board, commission, or committee to act as an advisory group to city government.
Primary functions of tree boards include:
1): Recommendations to the city government on ways to regulate the planting, care, and removal of publicly owned trees.
2): An assessment of the community forest situation, using some type of inventory analysis to determine short-and-long-range program goals and objectives.
3): Preparation of a comprehensive Community Forestry Management Plan.
4): Preparation of an annual plan of work and an annual report to the governing body.
The next step is to develop a tree ordinance. The purpose of most ordinances is to protect and maintain existing trees while providing for new ones. Ordinances usually designate who is responsible for administering the program, how the program operates, enacts enforcement procedures, and sets guidelines of tree planting and maintenance.
An ordinance must balance the needs of the trees with what can actually be enforced. Typically, ordinances provide for tree removals, tree preservation, tree planting, utility company activities, tree replacement, tree landscaping requirements in new developments, standards governing arborists, enforcement procedures, etc.
Any tree ordinance should be designed to meet a particular community’s needs; consequently, no two ordinances will be exactly the same.
A management plan is critical for developing, sustaining, and maintaining the community forest. Before a community can begin a community forestry program, it must first take a look at the entire community and identify needs.
Basically, there are three fundamental questions that need to be answered before a tree committee can develop a workable community forestry work plan.
1) “What do we have?
The answer to this question provides baseline information and data that can be used for future planning and also to measure the success of the plan. The best way to do this is to this is to complete a tree inventory.
Basic information collected in tree inventories includes species, stem diameter, location, condition, and maintenance needs.
2) “What do we want?”
Based on information obtained in the tree inventory, a community can set goals. Defining goals through a planning process helps identify priorities. It is also important to remember that both short term and long term goals should be identified and prioritized.
3) “How do we get what we want?”
Identify the actions, procedures, and implementation steps necessary to achieve the goals set forth.
Many times, the City Forester or person responsible for the care and management of the community forest will prepare an initial draft a management plan, usually with input from the Tree Committee.
The plan should include definitions on terms used in the plan, a Storm Response Plan in the event of catastrophic weather events, an Invasive Pest Control Plan that will address measures to control European Ash Borer or other damaging pests and diseases, requirements for developers for new street tree planting including an approved Street Tree List, and proposed programs such as a Heritage Tree Program, an Adopt a Tree Plan or a Memorial Tree Plan.
Then, the plan will be presented to the city administration for review and comment. Changes will likely be requested and the plan will change according to the needs of the city, the available and/or projected future budget, and what is considered achievable and reasonable. Once the final draft is completed, it is presented to the City Council for approval.
Finally, the management plan should be evaluated on a regular basis. Evaluation can be a committee’s best friend. Evaluation is necessary because, if properly conducted, it indicates both the elements of the program that have been successful and those requiring change. Through this process, a committee will likely identify specific program areas that are not achieving desirable results. A thorough evaluation of these areas will be necessary to identify solutions.
Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board Announces New Chairman
(BOISE) – The Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board (EFIB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Wilford as its chairman, replacing Dean Buffington who served as chairman for the last 17 years.
Wilford joined the EFIB in April of 2019 and currently serves as the chair of its Audit Committee. He brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience to the chairman position. He has served as the president of Alscott, Inc. (20 years), Chief Executive Officer of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation (20 years), was a partner with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young (27 years), and served as the director of the Idaho Power Company (11 years).
Wilford holds a BSB and MSB in Accounting from the University of Minnesota and attended the University of Southern California – Business Executive Program. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
The Endowment Fund Investment Board is the nine-member board and staff established to manage and invest the proceeds generated by endowment lands; it reports to the State Board of Land Commissioners. The endowment fund generates millions for its beneficiaries every year, generated an investment return of 16.3% during calendar year 2020 and ending the year with a balance of $2.8 billion.
# # #
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Chris Anton, EFIB Manager of Investments
208-334-3312 | Chris.Anton@efib.idaho.gov
efib.idaho.gov
Idaho Department of Lands Achievements for FY20
Despite many challenges of the past year, Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) had many positive achievements made possible because of its dedicated employees.
Employees met Idaho’s constitutional mandate to maximize endowment land revenue with a near-record $81 million distributed to endowment beneficiaries. IDL planted 2.1 million seedlings, harvested 247 million board feet of timber, provided 2,153 forest practice notifications and 1,280 inspections.
IDL protected 6.3 million acres from fire, issued 18,205 burn permits, and extinguished 256 wildfires with 90% held to 10 acres or less.
To help stay a step ahead of future wildfires, employees surveyed 959,465 acres for gypsy moth infestation and another 153,442 acres for Douglas-fir tussock moth.
IDL also provided 1,081 private landowners forestry training in 37 sessions. The agency acquired 41 miles of road easements which are crucial for accessing isolated parcels of endowment land. Employees managed 2,111 leases that generated $7.8 million for the beneficiaries; 1,106 of these leases allowed ranchers to graze 256,678 AUMs on endowment rangeland. IDL issued 383 new encroachment permits on public trust land, bringing the statewide total 10,509.
The IDL FY20 Annual Report can be found at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/. The fiscal year for IDL is from July 1- June 30.
Land Board approves Owyhee Land Exchange
(Boise, Idaho) – The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) today has given its final approval to a land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), trading endowment trust land within the Owyhee Canyonland Wilderness with federal lands outside the designated wilderness area.
The exchange will allow both Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the BLM to acquire lands better suited to their missions and objectives. More than 31,000 acres of non-wilderness federal land will be exchanged for nearly 24,000 acres of state endowment land. The equal value exchange is based on the appraised value of the lands being exchanged, not the size of the parcels.
There are 40 endowment parcels with 17 grazing leases that will be exchanged for 11 federal parcels with 18 grazing permits. IDL with honor the remaining duration of BLM grazing permits by issuing Land Use Permits for the time remaining.
IDL will acquire parcels adjacent to existing endowment lands that have access, creating larger endowment blocks, reducing the expense of managing scattered parcels and increases potential revenue for trust beneficiaries.
The land acquired by the BLM with allow for consistent management within the wilderness area and will enhance dispersed backcountry recreation by facilitating access to wilderness and improving opportunities for hunting, camping, fishing and river floating.
Closing on the exchange will not be completed until the BLM completes the last of its processes, including publishing a Notice of Decision and a public comment period.
This nearly 12-year process that began in 2008 has involved numerous stakeholders.
# # #
CONTACT: Sharla Arledge | PIO | 208-334-0286 | pio@idl.idaho.gov
Endowment Fund nears $3 billion after a strong end to 2020
(Boise, Idaho) When Idaho became a state, the Congress of the United States endowed certain lands to be used to generate income for education and other important purposes in Idaho. Now, 130 years later, proceeds generated from these lands may soon reach a historic milestone.
The Endowment Fund Investment Board was established to manage and invest the proceeds generated by endowment lands. The endowment fund generated an investment return of 16.3% during calendar year 2020 and ended the year with a balance of $2.8 billion.
The endowment fund generates millions for its beneficiaries every year and distributions in fiscal year 2021 set another record: More than $88 million in distributions will go to endowment land beneficiaries. In addition to earnings from the endowment fund, money comes from timber sales and leases on Idaho’s 2.5 million acres of endowment land.
How did the fund do so well? “As we look back at calendar year 2020, the performance of our portfolio stands in stark contrast to the impact the COVID-19 virus has had on our lives,” Chris Anton, Manager of Investments for the Endowment Fund Investment Board reported to the State Board of Land Commissioners this morning.
“Emergency programs in March and April by the Federal Reserve provided liquidity to financial markets and breathed life into the employment market,” said Anton. “Congress enacted the CARES Act which provided $2.2 trillion in funding to individuals and small businesses most affected by the crisis. This was supplemented by another $900 billion in stimulus at the end of the year. This support and extraordinary efforts to develop vaccines gave investors the confidence that we would work our way through the pandemic and bolstered the performance of financial markets.”
The Endowment Fund Investment Board is the nine-member board and staff that provide professional investment management services to the State Board of Land Commissioners, which provides direction to the Idaho Department of Lands.
Each endowment has both permanent assets – which can never be spent – and a reserve fund of accumulated earnings. The trust also includes 2.5 million acres of endowment trust land. Investment earnings from the permanent fund as well as revenue generate by the land, such as the money from timber sales, go to the earnings reserve fund. The Land Board annually determines the allocation of the reserve account – how much to distribute to the beneficiaries, how much to transfer to the permanent fund to offset inflation, and how much to retain for future distribution.
Endowment distributions support Idaho public schools, universities, state hospitals for the mentally ill, state veterans homes, the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, Idaho’s juvenile corrections system, and Idaho’s prison system. The Land Board is comprised of the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Controller, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.