Official Government Website
Category: Forestry
IDL’s strategy for McCall endowment land will be presented at Land Board meeting, but no decisions will be made
(Boise, Idaho) No action will be taken on the matter of how to best manage endowment lands around McCall during the November 17 State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) meeting. However, there will be an informational update on the Idaho Department of Lands Payette Endowment Lands Strategy.
The concept is a result of internal guidance and historical plans, City of McCall comprehensive planning documents, other state endowment land plans addressing similar issues, and Idaho regulations and laws.
Land Board Meeting Details
Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m. (MT)
State Capitol, Lincoln Auditorium (WW02), Lower Level, West Wing
700 W Jefferson Street, Boise
The meeting will be conducted by virtual means; at least one Board member will attend the meeting at the physical location. The meeting is open to the public. Due to the Governor’s Stage 2 Stay Healthy Order, dated 11/13/2020, gatherings, including public meetings, are limited to 10 persons or less in physical attendance. Individuals are highly encouraged to watch online or join via teleconference.
The meeting will be streamed live at https://www.idahoptv.org/shows/idahoinsession/
Members of the public may listen to the meeting via teleconference, using the following:
Dial toll-free: 1-877-820-7831
Enter passcode: 2479959, followed by the # key
The meeting will also be streamed live on the Idaho Department of Lands Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/IdahoDepartmentofLands
Agenda and other information is available at: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/land-board/
What is Idaho Endowment Land? At statehood, Congress granted Idaho endowment trust land for the sole purpose of funding specified beneficiaries, which are largely public schools. How the Land Board must manage these lands is also written in the Idaho Constitution. Article IX, Section VIII mandates that they will be managed “…in such manner as will secure the maximum long-term financial return to the institution to which [it is] granted.”
McCall Endowment Land: There is a continued need to evaluate and discuss the future of endowment lands within and immediately outside of the City of McCall’s growth and impact areas. While timber harvesting and cottage site leases and sales have been the most visible endowment land management approaches in McCall, new opportunities to generate income for the endowment beneficiaries are being considered.
The Land Board will also listen to another round of information from Trident Holdings, LLC and their proposal for endowment land in McCall at Tuesday’s meeting. This is also an information-only item, with no decisions being made at the meeting. The previous presentation proposed a land exchange for 28,000 acres of McCall endowment land.
The next dates to note for IDL’s strategy proposal are December 15, when the draft written plan will be presented to the Land Board. Public comments to the Land Board and an open comment period is planned for January 2021. A department finalization of the plan and presentation to the Land Board is not expected until late winter/early spring.
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CONTACT: Robbie Johnson, Public Information Officer, Idaho Department of Lands
208-334-0236/ 208-908-1786
Idaho’s next steps in shared effort to reduce wildfire risk and epidemics of forest disease
(Boise, Idaho) –The Idaho Department of Lands and the USDA Forest Service are part of a shared effort in a literal sense. They are sharing staff, funding, and are joining with a governor-appointed advisory group committee to identify mutual priorities and cross-boundary forest management opportunities.
This group effort known as “Shared Stewardship” is taking place in many states, and Idaho’s “No Boundaries Forestry” approach is addressing more than 6 million acres of Idaho’s forestlands that are designated as “high risk” for potential catastrophic wildfire and insect and disease outbreaks. View priority areas: https://idl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2793eac74ba346af874be1542320e46b
New foresters have been hired, there is a statewide Shared Stewardship Coordinator, new dual-agency staff, and both agencies are dedicating annual funding toward the effort. The first two years have already shown progress, including these projects:
Idaho Panhandle National Forests
- The Buckskin Saddle project proposes to increase forest resilience to insects, disease, drought and the undesirable effects from wildfires. Especially important to local citizens is the reduction of hazardous fuels near private land, routes, and powerlines. This project has identified 19,686 acres of treatment with implementation scheduled in 2021. Fuels reduction treatments have occurred on over 38 acres of private land surrounding a small at-risk community on Lake Pend Oreille surrounded by National Forest land.
- The Scattered Lands project proposes to decrease hazardous fuels to reduce wildfire risk to people, private lands, and resources. This project will integrate fuels and harvest treatments in coordination with partners to maximize results. Approximately 6,960 acres have been identified for treatment with implementation to begin in fall 2021. In addition, federal grants will fund fuels reduction on almost 1,700 acres of private forestlands surrounding hundreds of homes over the next five years on private lands in Bonner County adjacent to the National Forest.
Payette National Forest, Granite Meadows Project Area
- Granite Meadows is in the early development stages and includes vegetation and recreation management and watershed restoration. A key component of the project is to reduce the risk of wildfire and create a diverse and resilient landscape across jurisdictional boundaries. The project will incorporate commercial timber harvest and hazardous fuel reduction treatments that include prescribed fire, pile burning, and thinning across the National Forest.
Boise National Forest, Sage Hen Project Area
- Proposed treatments will improve vegetation conditions and resiliency to uncharacteristic disturbances, restore watersheds, improve and manage recreational opportunities, and support local and regional economies.
- In an unprecedented tree-mortality event caused by a large outbreak of Douglas-fir tussock moth, cross-boundary salvage operations have removed dead and dying trees and large amounts of fuels on hundreds of acres on the Boise National Forest, on nearby private lands, and on the Packer John State Forest.
IDL staff, Forest Service managers, and Idaho Shared Stewardship Advisory Group members visited both the Sage Hen Project Area and the Packer John State Forest in south-central Idaho Thursday, October 29 to see the results of salvage operations. Download broadcast-quality video and photos of the tour at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/162bskp90kwmiwd/AABZzOVoWgJlnUrlwC5zX4J6a?dl=0
“It’s incredible to see how both agencies have handled the devastating Douglas-fir tussock moth outbreak,” said Ara Andrea, Idaho Shared Stewardship Coordinator. “We may have different land-use missions in a larger sense, but both IDL and the Forest Service share the goal of healthy forests, and in these examples have removed trees that were dying and susceptible to catastrophic wildfires.”
“Idaho continues to pioneer new, collaborative efforts to protect our citizens and communities from wildfire,” Governor Brad Little said. “Working with our federal partners, private landowners, and many others, the State of Idaho is embracing this innovative Shared Stewardship approach so we can make a meaningful difference in the health of our lands and water.”
This “No Boundaries Forestry” work also depends on the participation of private and industrial timberland owners. “Stimson Lumber’s mission is unique from state and federal land management, as we sustain an active-management policy for our industrial timberlands,” said Tyler Nimke with Stimson Lumber. “But we are dependent on how well-managed neighboring forestlands are when it comes to how resilient and protected our forestlands are. This is why Shared Stewardship is so valuable.”
Idaho’s Shared Stewardship Initiative efforts emerged as a result of collaboration between the State of Idaho and the USDA Forest Service in 2018. The initiative analyzes how to best focus federal and state resources on critically needed treatments on at-risk forests across ownership boundaries.
CONTACT: Robbie Johnson, Public Information Officer, Idaho Department of Lands
208-334-0236/ 208-908-1786
Public asked to help protect endowment lands this hunting season
(Boise) – More than 96% of endowment land in Idaho is accessible by foot, watercraft or vehicle, with about 2.3 million acres available for hunting or other recreation.
Endowment land is different than public land: These lands are scattered across the state and are managed by the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL). The lands generate revenue, typically from timber sales and grazing leases, and help fund public schools, universities and state hospitals. In 2018 an agreement was made with Idaho Fish and Game to provide financial support for public access for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-based recreation on endowment land. Fish and Game’s payments to IDL helps ensure those lands remain open, but responsible use by the public is critical.
Help Preserve Access
- If you park near a gate, make sure there is room for emergency vehicles to pass.
- Help IDL keep the land productive by honoring closures and not making “new” trails.
- Reduce erosion by treading lightly on the land and avoiding muddy roads and trails.
- To reduce impacts to the land, keep Off-Highway Vehicles on established roads and trails.
- Dead animals should be disposed of away from streams and camping areas.
- Please take your trash home with you.
- Removing locks or destroying locked gates may result in further closures.
- If you use a warming fire, please put it out so it is cool to the touch before you leave. Wildfires are expensive and you are responsible for the bill if you start one. This year human-caused fires are responsible for 91% of acres burned on forests protected by IDL Fire Management.
IDL continues to provide access through trail construction and mitigation projects to guide recreation. Some areas may be temporarily closed to enable the effective operation of revenue-generating activities, to protect the public, and seasonal roads and trails. New signs are posted on endowment land to help with navigation and show rules and contact information.
Maps of endowment land can also be found at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/recreating-on-endowment-lands/.
Idaho’s shared effort toward reducing wildfire risk has new coordinator
Sunday Copeland Fire update near McCall
The Copeland Fire is 10 percent contained, and crews continue to limit fire spread by keeping it in place over the 91-acre fire area. The fire activity in this forested location is moderate with mostly smoldering and isolated flames. However, there is still the chance of fire growth.
There is smoke around McCall, but it is mostly from fires in California. The smoke cover has helped moderate fire activity on the Copeland Fire.
Crews are working on full perimeter control. Current crews on the fire will be maintained to keep the fire from moving into continuous timber and becoming a long-duration event. Resources engaged in suppression actions include aircraft, engines, a dozer, and 220 firefighters. There is a local Type 3 Incident Management Team on the fire.
The fire is on Idaho endowment land approximately 5 miles east of McCall. No structures are threatened, but it is a popular recreation area. The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) continues to urge the public to be aware of and avoid the Copeland Fire area.
Boulder Lake Road is currently closed due to the danger of the fire, firefighter traffic, and aircraft dropping water and retardant. Please do not access these areas from Potter Lane, Paddy Flat Road, or other endowment, public, or private accesses, as this creates a safety issue for both the public and our firefighters.
For more information, visit InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7024/
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Media Contact
Robbie Johnson, Idaho Department of Lands PIO
(208) 908-1786, pio@idl.idaho.gov
Closures near Copeland Fire for public safety
(McCall) – The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is urging the public to be aware of and avoid the area near the Copeland Fire, burning approximately 5 miles east of McCall on Idaho Endowment Land. It is 90 acres in size.
Boulder Lake Road is currently closed, and all recreationists are urged to avoid this area due to the danger of the fire, firefighter traffic, and aircraft dropping water and retardant. Please do not access these areas from Potter Lane, Paddy Flat Road, or other endowment, public, or private accesses, as this creates a safety issue for both the public and our firefighters.
Resources engaged in active suppression actions include multiple helicopters, three engines, two dozers, and 140 firefighters including two hotshot crews. There is a local Type 3 Incident Management Team on the fire.
Cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity made for moderate fire activity overnight and has allowed firefighters to gain ground, but a warming trend is forecasted through the weekend.
For more information, visit InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7024/
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Media Contact
Robbie Johnson, Idaho Department of Lands PIO
(208) 908-1786, pio@idl.idaho.gov
Director Miller Addresses McCall Endowment Land
By Dustin Miller
Director, Idaho Department of Lands
If you have seen the forests around Payette Lake in McCall, you have laid your eyes on Idaho endowment lands. Have you used the new Payette Lake Trail? Then you have walked those lands. Or maybe you or someone you know has enjoyed lakefront property because of endowment land leasing opportunities.
Even if you haven’t done any of those things, you still benefit from endowment lands in McCall. If you went to public school in Idaho, those endowment lands helped fund your education. Those lands are funding schools today. If you pay taxes in Idaho, the amount is decreased because of endowment land revenue. If you or someone you know works in the timber industry, those workers – as well as the greater economy – have benefitted from endowment lands.
How does this all happen? When Idaho became a state, Congress granted Idaho endowment trust lands for the sole purpose of funding specified beneficiaries, which are largely public schools, but also the University of Idaho, state hospitals for the mentally ill, Lewis-Clark State College, state veterans homes, Idaho State University, the Capitol Commission, Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, and Idaho’s juvenile corrections system and prison system.
How the State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) must manage these lands is also written in the Idaho Constitution. Article IX, Section 8 mandates that they will be managed “…in such manner as will secure the maximum long-term financial return to the institution to which [it is] granted.” Under the direction of the Land Board, we generate revenue from endowment lands through timber sales, as well as by leasing the lands for grazing, farming, conservation leasing, communication sites, recreation, residential/commercial real estate, minerals, and more. The Idaho Department of Lands is the administrative arm of the Land Board charged with the day-to-day management of these lands.
Endowment lands impact all of us in one way or another. But it’s the beneficiaries that have our undivided loyalty. This loyalty is core to the constitutional purpose of endowment lands. No matter how desirable some competing interests may be, we are constitutionally bound not to be swayed by anything that is not in the best long-term financial interest of the beneficiaries. Given our long-term land management mission, we also understand that improving the ecological condition of the lands we manage improves the bottom line for our beneficiaries.
This approach is what the state has strived to achieve in the McCall area for more than 100 years. We will continue with this approach as we listen to proposals from interested parties for endowment land use in the McCall area.
We understand that the thought of a proposed exchange of 28,000 acres of endowment land around McCall comes as a shock to many. We realize how much is at stake. That’s why the Land Board paused the leasing, selling, or exchanging of endowment land in the McCall area unless that land was already part of a previously approved action. This allows us the opportunity to conduct a thorough and honest evaluation of McCall endowment lands and what will bring the best long-term financial return, before we take any new actions on these lands.
Continuing with our timber harvests around the lake, offering additional land leases, or even exchanging certain parcels are all options. Making these choices can be difficult, but remaining loyal to the beneficiaries will give us clarity as we look to the future of endowment lands in Idaho, and what options will best serve the school children of today and tomorrow.
Pause on new leases, land sales and exchanges in McCall continues; Land Board will discuss Idaho Department of Lands study of the area July 21
(Boise) – The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) continues its hold on leasing, selling, or exchanging endowment trust land in the McCall area, unless that land was already part of a previously-approved action. Accordingly, new business proposals about endowment lands are not scheduled for any decision or presentation at this meeting, including Trident Holdings, LLC’s land exchange pitch.
Instead, the July 21 Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners meeting will include an update and timeline on IDL’s new and comprehensive review of the management of the 28,000 acres of endowment land in McCall and how that land can best serve endowment land beneficiaries. IDL will complete this study before formally considering anything from outside parties.
“The ultimate goal of the study is to guide us as we remain loyal to our constitutional mandate to use endowment lands to generate the maximum long-term financial return to the beneficiaries,” said IDL Director Dustin Miller. “That could mean continuing our current programs in McCall, ranging from our effective forest management, timber sales, and replanting efforts, or adding to our leasing opportunities.”
The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners Regular Meeting
July 21, 2020 in the State Capitol, Lincoln Auditorium (WW02)
Lower Level, West Wing, 700 W Jefferson St., Boise.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM (Mountain).
This meeting is open to the public.
All attendees must comply with current COVID-19 safety protocols for public gatherings.
Contingent upon safety protocols, the public may participate in person or via webinar.
Please contact Renée Jacobsen, rjacobsen@idl.idaho.gov, for webinar information.
Meeting will be live streamed at https://www.idahoptv.org/shows/idahoinsession/ww02/
Please remember that endowment lands are not the same as public lands, and they are not owned by the general public: In the Idaho Constitution, Article IX, Section 8 mandates that endowment lands will be managed “…in such manner as will secure the maximum long-term financial return to the institution to which [it is] granted.” Money from endowment lands comes through timber sales, as well as by leasing lands for grazing, farming, conservation, communication sites, recreation, residential/commercial real estate, minerals, and more. While these lands offer managed recreation opportunities, they are not taxpayer-funded public lands such as those managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
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Media contact: Robbie Johnson, PIO, 208-334-0236, pio@idl.idaho.gov
More accurate forest inventory methods to increase harvest of trees before they are vulnerable to insects, disease, and wildfire
Boise, Idaho – Aged and over-crowded trees are at the most risk for insects, disease, and wildfire, and now the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) can better determine where those trees are located and how to better manage endowment forests.
IDL keeps an inventory of timber to assist in the planning process of keeping forests productive and healthy, while also raising money through timber sales for Idaho Endowment Beneficiaries like Idaho public schools. Over the years, inventory methods have improved by including sampling of more plots, trees, and locations on a more robust schedule around the state. This inventory process has shown that about a 33 percent increase of timber harvesting is needed to keep up with tree growth and meet the long-term desired standing volume of the timber asset.
The State Board of Land Commissioners provides direction to the Idaho Department of Lands and approved the increased harvest plan. IDL manages about one million acres of endowment timberlands, which makes up about five percent of forests in Idaho.
“The harvest increase allows us to address the excess standing volume, or in other words, the too many overly mature trees that should be harvested rather than left at risk for insects, disease and wildfire,” said Jim Elbin, Trust Land Division Administrator. “Our endowment forests will be more resilient and resistant to those threats because the forests will be healthier, and our state will be helped by the increased revenue in timber sales.”
The 33 percent increase in timber harvests is expected to boost timber revenues at the same rate. Even before the plan for increased harvests, in fiscal year 2019, $1.3 billion in services and goods were generated from endowment land timber harvests. Sales generated $77 million in revenue, supported more than 6,600 jobs, and more than $270 million in wages.
“The elevated harvest rate is expected to last between five to 25 years, but we will be updating our inventory and evaluating our harvest levels every five years,” said Elbin. “Our goal is to keep forests healthy and provide the best long-term return to the beneficiaries.”
Tree seedling planting will also increase with the additional tree harvests. In 2020, IDL is already planting nearly 2 million seedlings.
Editor’s note: Download broadcast-quality video and images of people working in the timber industry for use in news coverage: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wpzx2s8hhtq0v0a/AAAfHFyqRUofIKkYeX-inBIwa?dl=0
More about IDL: When Idaho became a state, Congress granted Idaho Endowment Trust Lands for the purpose of funding specified beneficiaries. Chief among the endowment beneficiaries are public schools, as well as the University of Idaho, state hospitals for the mentally ill, Lewis-Clark State College, state veterans’ homes, Idaho State University, the Capitol Commission, Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, and Idaho’s juvenile corrections system and prison system.
The Land Board provides direction to IDL in managing approximately 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust lands in Idaho. The Land Board also oversees IDL’s regulatory and assistance duties, and in managing Idaho’s public trust lands, which are the thousands of miles of land beneath Idaho’s navigable waterways. The Land Board is made up of Governor Brad Little, Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, State Controller Brandon Woolf, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra.
Public reminded to be aware of logging operations around Bogus Basin
(Boise) – Forest visitors, including hikers and mountain bikers should be aware that logging contractors removing dead trees with Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe are working along the Bogus Basin Road north of the resort and areas around Bogus Basin. Forest users may encounter delays up to one hour along National Forest System (NFS) roads 297, 374 and 374E. Trails may be temporarily closed only while the contractor is working in the area. One to two logging trucks are expected on those roads per day with operations taking place Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. – 5 p.m.
“We have not a set schedule for which trails will be temporarily closed, but they will be signed and we urge visitors to use caution when in the area,” said John Wallace, Assistant Timber Management Officer, Idaho City Ranger District. “Roads are remaining open and for driver’s personal safety, they should alert the logging operator of their presence before proceeding through active operations. There should be enough room for vehicles to pass between log decks, slash piles and equipment parked along the roadside. In some instances vehicles may have to wait for the road to be cleared to pass, or to turn around.”
The logging contractor is expected to be working on NFS roads 297, 374E and 374 through the middle of July. Operations will impact access to the Shafer Butte Campground during that time. No logging operations will occur within the Shafer Butte campground and the campground will remain open after its scheduled opening, June 14, 2020.
The Good Neighbor Authority timber sale is administered by the Idaho Department of Lands as part of USDA Forest Service’s Bogus Basin Forest Health Project.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Venetia Gempler, Boise National Forest | (208) 373-4105| venetia.gempler@usda.gov
Sharla Arledge, Idaho Department of Lands | 208-334-0236 | sarledge@idl.idaho.gov