Idaho forests are one of Idaho’s major assets

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

Idaho’s forest sector is one of the state’s major assets and some people think it’s underutilized.

That could be about to change, in a big way.

Idaho has a lot of farmland, but even more forestland.

According to the Idaho Forest Products Commission, there are 21.5 million acres of forestland in Idaho. USDA sets total “land in farming” in Idaho at 11.5 million acres.

“The industry is a really big player in Idaho economically,” said IFPC Executive Director Jennifer Okerlund Frederickson.

According to the commission, the forest industry contributes about $2.8 billion to the state’s economy each year and is responsible for 31,000 jobs.

In addition, the sale of timber from state endowment lands contributes about $62 million each year to Idaho schools. That’s all schools in Idaho, not just those in timber country.

“Even if you don’t have trees in your back yard in the state of Idaho, you’re still benefiting from the timber industry,” Frederickson said. “We really are a major player in the state’s economy.”

Excluding the economic benefit, the state’s forests also play an important role in other ways.

Roughly 40 percent of Idaho is covered with forestland.

“Beyond their economic value, (forests) provide clean water and air, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, biodiversity, and sustainable and renewable wood products,” said Audra Cochran, a University of Idaho Extension educator in Clearwater County.

“Forests shape the landscape, culture, and communities of our state,” she added. “In my opinion, Idaho's forests are a big part of what makes Idaho such a special place to live.”

The state’s forest industry is strong, but it’s not as strong as it once was. However, that could be on the verge of changing.

Over the past 50 years or so, Frederickson said, the federal government has made philosophical changes to the nation’s forest management policies that have resulted in less active management.

Besides resulting in less harvesting, that has also led to less management such as mechanized thinning.

As a result, many sawmills have closed all over the state and the forest products industry in Idaho and the Northwest isn’t nearly as prominent as it once was.

However, there is growing hope that is about to change, and in a big way.

On March 1, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled, “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.”

It states, in part: “The United States has an abundance of timber resources that are more than adequate to meet our domestic timber production needs, but heavy-handed federal policies have prevented full utilization of these resources and made us reliant on foreign producers.” 

The order says the inability to fully use the domestic timber supply has impeded “the creation of jobs and prosperity, contributed to wildfire disasters, degraded fish and wildlife habitats, increased the cost of construction and energy, and threatened our economic security.” 

These onerous federal policies, according to the executive order, “have forced our nation to rely upon imported lumber, thus exporting jobs and prosperity and compromising our self-reliance.  It is vital that we reverse these policies and increase domestic timber production to protect our national and economic security.”

The order directed the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture to issue new or updated guidance on tools to facilitate increased timber production and sound forest management.

The order sets a target for the annual amount of timber on federal lands to be offered for sale over the next four years to be measured in millions of board feet.

Gov. Brad Little applauded the order and directed state agencies to recommend opportunities to align with the president’s executive order.

“With a fresh perspective at the Forest Service, Idaho stands ready to help transform how our federal lands and fires are managed, leading to invigorated rural communities,” Little said in a news release.

Of the 21.5 million acres of forestland in Idaho, 80 percent are managed by the federal government, 14 percent are privately owned and 6 percent are owned by the state. However, 51 percent of timber harvest in Idaho comes from private lands, 30 percent from state lands and 19 percent from federal lands.

If the president’s executive order does translate into a lot more timber being harvested from federal lands, that could be a boon to the Idaho and U.S. forest products sector.

The actions resulting from the executive order have sent a jolt of hopeful excitement through many people involved in the timber industry.

Already, the changes since the executive order was issued are noticeable, said Tim Kemery, who owns a cattle ranch just outside Challis and does custom logging.

For example, on May 6, USDA announced $23 million in grants to support the transportation of hazardous forest fuel such as dead and downed trees from national forests to processing facilities.

"Removing hazardous fuels not only reduces wildfire risk but also creates opportunities for businesses and workers in the wood products industry,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a news release announcing the grants.

“Our nation is blessed with an abundance of resources and there is no reason we cannot responsibly harvest and use these products right here at home,” Rollins added.

Kemery, who serves on Idaho Farm Bureau Federation’s forestry committee, has seen three lumber mills in his region close since 1997 because of litigation by environmental groups that shut down timber sales and thus mills.

“The changes occurring since the executive order are massive,” he said. “It’s literally miraculous.”

The changes in how federal forest managers now approach timber sales, how they deal with fires and approach active management, such as thinning, are noticeable, Kemery said.

“I’m very encouraged. It’s almost unbelievable it’s so wonderful,” he said.

For the past several decades, Kemery said, the American timber industry has faced a tough challenge when it comes to lumber sales and pricing because subsidized lumber imported from other nations undercut it.

“It’s been hard to make it,” he said. “Now that’s going to change, hopefully.”

Howard Weeks, who farms north of Orofino and also serves on IFBF’s forestry committee, said the hiring of Tom Schultz as chief of the U.S. Forest Service was in itself a big blessing to the Idaho and U.S. forest industry.

Schultz served as director of the Idaho Department of Lands and previously as vice president of resources for Idaho Forest Group.

Schultz knows the forest sector as well as anyone, Weeks said, and his selection in itself is a win for the industry.

“That was a huge move,” he said. “Tom knows the forests of Idaho, and U.S. forests, so well. I’m glad I’ve lived long enough to see Tom Schultz, or an individual like him, selected as chief of the Forest Service.”

Weeks said he is also hopeful that things are turning for good for the industry and pointed out the forests of north and northcentral Idaho in particular are some of the most productive in the Northwest.

“I’m very encouraged,” he said. “These forests are very productive and it’s very, very important to Idaho that these forests are managed as healthy forests.”