Category: All News Releases

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2020

 

IDAHO FOREST PRACTICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO MEET IN MARCH

 

(COEUR D’ALENE) – The Idaho Forest Practices Advisory Committee (FPAC) will meet March 6, 2020, in a webinar-facilitated meeting from the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Coeur d’Alene staff office.

 

This meeting’s agenda will include finalization of draft language for proposed rule changes that will potentially be promulgated in 2020.

 

What:                  FPAC meeting

When:                 March 6, 2020

Time:                    9 A.M. (PST)

Where:                IDL Coeur d’Alene staff office

Sundance Conference Room

3284 W. Industrial Loop

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

 

Boise Option:    Webinar-conference participation is available in Boise at 10 A.M. (MST)

IDL Boise staff office

Garnet Conference Room

300 N. 6^th St.

Boise, Idaho

 

The purpose of FPAC, as established by Idaho Code, is to provide technical assistance to IDL and the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) in matters relating to the Idaho Forest Practices Act. The committee typically meets two or three times per year depending on current issues. It is comprised of nine voting members appointed by the IDL director for three-year terms. Members include a fisheries biologist; a non-industrial private forest landowner; two forest landowners (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); two resident forest operators (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); two members of the general public (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); and one at-large member.

 

This is a public meeting and space in both conference rooms is limited, therefore, those who would like to attend are asked to RSVP by contacting Gary Hess at (208) 666-8636 or ghess@idl.idaho.gov.  Lunch will be provided for FPAC members and participating IDL staff only.

 

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CONTACT:   Gary Hess |IDL Forest Practices Program Manager|208-666-8636|ghess@idl.idaho.gov

For Immediate Release

Monday, January 27, 2020

(Boise) –Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) launched an updated website today. The first priority for the website is to provide accessibility for individuals with sight disabilities, make it mobile-friendly, and generally easier to navigate. The new site also has improved communication tools and a more visual user experience.

Visitors can easily find information on recreation, fire, forestry, leasing, mining regulation, and lakes and rivers protection. There is a new subscription service feature allowing people to sign up for information and updates on specific topics. Those who do business with IDL will want to look for the homepage button titled “Access IDL.” The link features IDL’s growing online services, including timber sales information and leasing opportunities.

IDL’s mission is to prudently manage Idaho’s endowment assets to maximize long-term financial returns to public schools and other trust beneficiaries, and to provide professional assistance to the citizens of Idaho to use, protect and sustain their natural resources.

“The website gives us more opportunities to support our mission through improved communication and outreach, while also educating the public about our services and the work of our dedicated employees,” said Dustin Miller, Director of the Idaho Department of Lands.

 

Our state forester has worked at IDL for 12 years. David Groeschl has overseen the forest management and leasing programs on 2.5 million acres of Idaho endowment trust lands; wildland fire protection of more than 6 million acres of state and private forest lands; forestry assistance to private landowners and compliance with the Forest Practices Act; and Good Neighbor efforts that increase active management and restoration of federal lands in Idaho.  He is leaving IDL in February, taking his talents to a forest management company. Watch David get a plaque at today’s Land Board meeting.

Idaho Code 67-7126(4) established the OHV Fund within the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL). One dollar from every
OHV registration is allocated to IDL to “provide off-highway vehicle opportunities and to repair damage directly related
to off-highway vehicle use.” The statute requires IDL to “annually publish a report specifically identifying the uses of
moneys allocated” to the OHV Fund. Read the report.

Quick announcement: During 2020, IDL will release the Access IDL Customer Account Portal that will provide instant access to IDL administered encroachment permits, mine reclamation plans, and customer accounts with the ability to apply for state leases or permits and manage customer account activity. Visit the Access IDL page at: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/access-idl/

 

Steamboat Gulch sled hill will open by Christmas

For Immediate Release

Dec. 20, 2019

 

(Boise) –A new operator is now in place and Idaho City’s Steamboat Gulch sled hill will be open by Christmas.

Doug Pottenger, owner of Seasons Mountain Dining & Grocery in Idaho City, signed a 2-year land use permit with Idaho Department of Lands (IDL).  Pottenger and his employees will manage the sled hill.

Pottenger stepped up after finding out the sled hill would close this season because the Mores Creek Recreational Foundation no longer had funding for the permit or sledding operations. IDL found it necessary to close the hill to protect restoration efforts, as well as for safety reasons.

“Our hope was that someone could secure a permit and manage and operate the sled hill,” said Todd Wernex, IDL recreation program specialist. “This is a great example of how working together, we can maintain and protect our valuable endowment lands, while also providing recreation opportunities that don’t do damage to those lands.”

The sled hill is on endowment land owned by the public school beneficiary, meaning the land and its uses are not taxpayer funded. Last year, the sled hill was kept open despite the lack of an operator. Without oversight, the area was damaged by people driving vehicles on the hill, leaving garbage, and shooting trees. Funds used for restoration to the endowment trust land was paid for with money that should have gone to support K-12 education.

IDL expects that the new operator will provide an exciting opportunity for the public, while encouraging users to be good stewards of this public school endowment land.

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Media contact:

Robbie Johnson, PIO, 208-334-0236, pio@idl.idaho.gov

(COEUR D’ALENE) – The Idaho Forest Practices Advisory Committee (FPAC) will meet Dec. 5, 2019 in the Idaho
Department of Lands (IDL) Coeur d’Alene staff office.

This meeting’s agenda will include the results of the Class I, streamside, tree-retention-rule, Shade Effectiveness
Study and discussions regarding implications of cable-assisted harvesting technology for the Forest Practices
rules.

What: FPAC meeting
When: Dec. 5, 2019
Time: 9 A.M. (Pacific Time)
Where: IDL Coeur d’Alene staff office, Sundance Room, 3284 W. Industrial Loop, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Boise Option: Video-conference is available in Boise, IDL Boise staff office, Garnet West Room, 300 N. 6th St., Boise, Idaho

The purpose of FPAC, as established by Idaho Code, is to provide technical assistance to IDL and the Idaho State
Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) in matters relating to the Idaho Forest Practices Act. The committee
typically meets two or three times per year depending on current issues. It is comprised of nine voting members
appointed by the IDL director for three-year terms. Members include a fisheries biologist; a non-industrial
private forest landowner; two forest landowners (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); two
resident forest operators (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); two members of the general
public (one from northern Idaho and one from southern Idaho); and one at-large member.

This is a public meeting and space in the room is limited, therefore, those who would like to attend are
requested to provide an RSVP by contacting Gary Hess at (208) 666-8636 or ghess@idl.idaho.gov.

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MEETING CONTACT: Gary Hess, IDL Forest Practices Program Manager, (208) 666-8636, ghess@idl.idaho.gov
MEDIA CONTACT: Sharla Arledge, PIO, 208-334-0286, pio@idl.idaho.gov

PDF version

(BOISE) – Trucks loaded with trees damaged by the Douglas-fir tussock moth infestation in the Packer John State Forest are making their way to area sawmills. The Idaho Department of Lands sold nearly 2,000 acres of dead and dying timber as part of two salvage sales. The tree harvest reduces fire risk, addresses safety concerns to the recreating public, and clears the way to plant trees that are less preferred by tussock moth. The salvage sales also generate money to help fund public schools in Idaho.

B-roll with interview and photos/media opportunity today

High-quality video of logging of the dying trees, photos, and a video interview with Chris Clark, Idaho Department of Lands Resource Manager, is available to the media here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t4u1n97k260o4s4/AACRHSKMJJgSEFadJcEajbl6a?dl=0

Chris Clark is available in person today at noon at the Garden Valley Market in Crouch, Idaho. From there he will escort media in their own vehicles up logging roads for interviews and to see the logging operation. The logging is 40 minutes from Crouch. If you would like to meet Chris, please contact Robbie Johnson, Public Information Officer with the Idaho Department of Lands at (208) 908-1786 by 10:30 am.

Additional information: The Hidden Scriver Salvage has loaded logging trucks traveling north through Smiths Ferry on Idaho 55 through Cascade, McCall, then arriving at mills in Grangeville and New Meadows. Logging will start in the Center Howell Salvage area in a few weeks. Those trucks will be traveling south on Idaho 55 into Horseshoe Bend, then turning onto Idaho 52 to reach a mill in Emmett.

All merchantable damaged trees within the salvage sale areas will be harvested except for ponderosa pine and spruce trees, which are not commonly damaged by tussock moth. Those species make up a small percentage of trees within the harvest areas. Most of the logging for these sales will take place this fall until snowfall accumulation makes logging too difficult.

Following salvage operations, the land will be planted with a variety of tree species (ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce and western larch) to make the forest less susceptible to this type of catastrophic damage in the future. While this current tussock moth outbreak has run its course, outbreaks historically happen every 10 to 20 years.

IDL and the Boise National Forest are both working to remove tussock moth damaged trees through timber sales in the area. “Leaving the dead trees standing there, they will decompose, fall over roads, and present other safety hazards,” said Carol Ross, Forest Service Representative for the Boise National Forest. “We are mitigating those future hazards now, and recovering some of the timber value at the same time.”

“These efforts have already resulted in a healthier forest,” said Chris Clark, Lands Resource Specialist, with the Idaho Department of Lands. “The landscape is green, instead of darkened by dead trees.”

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Other Media Materials

Drone video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXvyvobbc&list=PLexGgZqmpm6I_iu1RIoKUbfDxwvwTDJbX

Douglas-fir tussock moth FAQs: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/forestry/forest-health/packer-john-salvage/dftm-2019-faqs-072919.pdf

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Robbie Johnson, Public Information Officer Idaho Department of Lands W: (208) 334-0286 C: (208) 908-1786 pio@idl.idaho.gov 

 

PDF version

(BOISE) – Fire safety burn permits from the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) are no longer required for burning activities outside of city limits beginning Oct. 21.

The fire safety burn permit from IDL is required for any burning (excluding recreational campfires) outside of city limits during closed fire season, from May 10 through Oct. 20 annually.

While state permits will not be required after the 20th, local fire departments, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and/or tribal authorities should be contacted before burning to determine if other permits are required or if local restrictions are in place.

Humans, not lightning, caused approximately 60 percent of the wildfires this year on lands protected by the Idaho Department of Lands, accounting for more than 98 percent of the acres burned. Many of these fires were preventable as they were ignited by escaped debris burning and campfires.

Please use caution whenever burning by following these steps:

• Check for required permits. Don’t forget to check with local fire departments, DEQ, and/or tribal authorities.
• Be prepared. Keep water, a shovel and other resources on hand to prevent the fire from spreading.
• Check weather conditions. Do not burn when it is windy or when there is a chance weather conditions may change during burning.
• Look up. Choose a safe site for burning- away from power lines, overhanging limbs, buildings, vehicles, and equipment.
• Look around. The burn site should be free from any other combustible materials and dry vegetation.
• Keep your pile at a manageable size. Add additional debris slowly as the pile burns down.
• Monitor. Check the burn area regularly, especially if the weather is warm, dry, and/or windy.

While burn permits are not required after Oct. 20, IDL encourages those who plan to burn to complete the online form as it helps inform fire managers where burning activities are occurring, reducing the number of false runs to fires and saving firefighting resources for instances in which they are truly needed. The permit is free and can be obtained online at burnpermits.idaho.gov or in person at IDL offices statewide.

The IDL issued nearly 17,000 burn permits in calendar year 2018.

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NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS: Jennifer Russell, Fire Prevention and Outreach, 208-666-8685 Sharla Arledge, Public Information Officer, 208-334-0286 pio@idl.idaho.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2019

Partnership helping to keep Idaho endowment lands open for recreation
By Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller

This time of year, many Idahoans take to Idaho’s forests, rangelands and waterways to participate in
annual fall hunting, fishing and other activities. These traditions are woven into the fabric of our culture
in Idaho and help define us as Idahoans.
Idaho provides exceptional hunting and fishing opportunities, and is one of the most sought-after states
for an incredible outdoor experience. And what makes Idaho such a great place to pursue these
activities is access to public lands, as well as state endowment lands.
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) manages nearly 2.5 million acres of endowment forest and
rangelands at the direction of the State Board of Land Commissioners. These lands are different than
federal public lands and are owned by the endowment beneficiaries, which are primarily Idaho public
schools.
Article IX, Section 8 of the Idaho Constitution mandates that these lands be managed in a way that
secures maximum long-term financial returns to the beneficiaries. In fact, because of this mandate, the
Land Board recently approved a 4.5 percent increase in endowment distributions. This sets a recordbreaking distribution of more than $84 million for fiscal year 2021.
The Land Board supports a policy of allowing general public recreational use of legally accessible
endowment land for activities like hunting. But only if those activities do not degrade the lands,
interfere with management activities, or otherwise negatively affect the long-term financial return to
beneficiaries.
A year-old agreement between IDL and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) has successfully
helped ensure that access. Under this agreement, IDFG compensates IDL 25 cents per endowment acre
annually for public hunting, fishing, and other recreational land uses. This helps cover costs associated
with recreation management on endowment lands. The money comes from revenue generated from
hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses, as well as Pittman-Robertson funds, which are an excise tax on
firearms and ammunition.
The agreement satisfies the Land Board’s responsibility to provide a financial return to the beneficiaries
for land use. And IDFG is providing conservation officer services to assist with recreation enforcement to
help ensure that recreational activities do not degrade endowment land.
In addition, IDL is inventorying trails on endowment land and determining how to provide a quality trail
experience that is compatible with the endowment mission. Designated trails will soon be mapped and
signed. Undesignated trails that cause resource damage will be closed and reclaimed.
But please be aware, even with the agreement, there are a few endowment areas not open to the public
due to safety reasons or a lack of legal access.
Access to endowment land in Idaho is important to us as Idahoans, and so long as revenue-generating
activities are respected and not impacted, these lands will remain open for public access and recreation.
As the director of the Idaho Department of Lands, I am asking you to do your part to protect
endowment land while enjoying them. Working together, we can continue to enjoy hunting and other
activities, while also supporting our school children by being good stewards of these lands.
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