Region Archives: US West

IDAHO – The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest said it will finalize and release the long-awaited revision of its governing plan Friday. For more than two decades, Forest Service employees have been working on updating the document known as a forest plan. It was written in 1987 and designed to last about 15 years. Over that time the agency has started, scrapped and restarted the effort several times, often based on shifting federal rules governing the process. A final draft of the plan was released in the fall of 2023. While the finalized plan won’t be available until Friday, it is not expected to be dramatically different from the draft. …Conservation groups panned the draft plan because it dramatically reduced streams and rivers that would be recommended for protection under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers act from more than 80 to just 11.

The Biden administration appears to be doubling down on a plan to kill barred owls in order to protect the northern spotted owl populations in Northwest forests. But a group of bipartisan Oregon legislators… are calling on the incoming Trump administration’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency to reverse the decision. Two years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a plan to shoot and kill an estimated 400,000 invasive barred owls at a cost of roughly $1.35 billion over the next three decades. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management said it’s signing on to that plan, too. …“This simply isn’t a sound strategy — fiscally or ecologically,” Oregon state Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, said. …Gomberg joined four Republican Oregon lawmakers on Wednesday to issue a bipartisan call to the next president. They asked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to nix plans for culling barred owls in Northwest forests.

As wildfires continue to burn out of control across Los Angeles, questions have turned to why and how California authorities allowed the perfect conditions — extremely dry, uncleared forests, hillsides and brush — to proliferate during an already dangerous fire season made worse by a Santa Ana wind event that hits the area with relative frequency. Well before those dangerous conditions sparked the massive blazes… this week, the region was already a tinderbox due, in part, to a lack of prescribed fires. …The reason California hasn’t conducted more controlled burnings comes down to existing environmental laws in the U.S. that have posed bureaucratic obstacles to prescribed fires. It often takes years for proposals to go through reviews before any controlled burning can take place. …Lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow for more controlled burning, but because no laws have been passed, environmental red tape has continued to present challenges to proactive fire management.

LOS ANGELES – Following President Biden’s afternoon briefing regarding the unprecedented Los Angeles fires, Governor Gavin Newsom thanked the Biden-Harris Administration for its swift support for the state that is boosting response efforts and protecting thousands of Californians. The Governor met today (January 9) with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell in Los Angeles. Yesterday in Santa Monica, Governor Newsom and President Biden were briefed by local and state emergency officials on the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires. Shortly after, President Biden approved Governor Newsom’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing response efforts related to the major wildfires. Today, at the Governor’s request for more federal assistance, the President authorized increasing federal assistance to cover 100% of California’s fire management and debris removal costs for 180 days, up from the traditional 75%. This declaration makes available federal funding to help state, tribal and local governments cover emergency response costs.

Foresters across the country are asking private landowners for help saving white oak trees, and Missourians have eagerly answered the call. More than 40 people recently signed up to help the University of Missouri Extension and the state Department of Conservation plant and raise white oak tree seedlings. The project is a part of the White Oak Initiative, a more than 15 state effort that aims to make forests more suitable for the trees. Brian Schweiss, a sustainable forestry specialist with MU Extension, said the white oak is a critical component of the forest ecosystem and supports wildlife. However, young trees are struggling. “We have a lot of mature white oak, but we don’t have a lot of young trees that are coming up, replacing the mature trees that are harvested or died.”

PORT ANGELES — The committee of commissioners representing five encumbered counties, including Clallam and Jefferson, have arrived at a recommendation for how timber revenue from replacement lands should be distributed between the counties. The ratio agreed upon by the committee, known as the impact share method, will distribute funds based on how many encumbered acres each county has when compared to the total number of acres encumbered between the five counties. The Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) will vote on the recommendation at its Feb. 5 meeting, Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias said. Encumbered counties are those which have substantial portions of their state trust land set aside for protection of endangered species such as marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls.

Firefighters last week began setting backfires to contain the Horton Fire, which continues to burn in unseasonally warm, dry conditions on the face of the Mogollon Rim. The Forest Service resorted to backfires due to rough, overgrown conditions that make it too dangerous for firefighters to engage the fire directly. That frightens many homeowners. …The controlled burns being used to tame the 1,100-acre Horton Fire are not managed fires – since they represent the only safe strategy to stop the human-caused blaze. …Numerous studies have proven that the Forest Service will have to substantially increase the use of managed fires to restore forest health and protect forested communities. …The key problem lies in the increase in tree densities across millions of acres of Arizona ponderosa pine forests in the past century. …The problem has been compounded by approval of homes and subdivisions in that now endangered Wildland-Urban Interface.

Forecasters warned Southern California could see a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm this week, as powerful gusts and dropped humidity levels raise the risk for wildfires in parched areas still recovering from a recent destructive blaze. Gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph) across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as winds intensify Tuesday into Wednesday. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills. “Scattered downed trees and power outages are likely, in addition to rapid fire growth and extreme behavior with any fire starts,” the weather service office for Los Angeles said. The weather service warned of downed trees, knocked over big rigs and motorhomes, dangerous conditions off the coasts of LA and Orange County, and potential delays at local airports. Areas where gusts blowing across tinder-dry vegetation could create “extreme fire conditions” include the charred footprint of last month’s wind-drivenFranklin Fire, which damaged or destroyed 48 structures in Malibu.

Oregon homeowners who live in certain high-risk wildfire areas defined by the state must now meet new building codes and reduce vegetation around their homes under new “wildfire hazard maps” unveiled Tuesday. The release of the maps follows a record-breaking wildfire season last year and firestorms in 2020 that killed nine people and destroyed thousands of homes. The state-developed maps — which will not affect homeowners’ insurance rates, under Oregon law — create new rules for those living in the most fire-prone areas that also border wildlands such as forests or grasslands. The provisions impact 6% of the state’s roughly 1.9 million tax lots, a reduction from an earlier version developed in 2022 but retracted after homeowners raised concerns that it would increase insurance premiums. …In Oregon, the new building and so-called defensible space codes will affect only about 106,000 tax lots. But experts say that’s an important step in identifying and protecting fire-prone areas.

The Oregon Department of Forestry Tuesday released final versions of statewide wildfire hazard and wildland-urban interface maps developed by Oregon State University scientists. …The wildfire hazard map was mandated by Senate Bill 762, a $195 million legislative package in 2021 aimed at improving Oregon’s wildfire preparedness through fire-adapted communities, safe and effective response to fire, and increasing the resilience of the state’s landscapes. The hazard map is designed to support property owners with information about potential wildfire hazards in the landscapes where they live. It also provides state agencies with guidance as to where actions can be taken to reduce the danger wildfire poses to people, homes and property. …By law, the maps cannot be used by insurers to adjust rates. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation oversees the insurance industry in the state.

Related coverage in KTVZ.com: New Maps Show Wildfire Risk in Your Area

On January 6th, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced the receipt of $5 million to support the California Forest Improvement Program. This funding is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inflation Reduction Act funding, aimed at strengthening financial incentives for private forest landowners to manage their forests sustainably and to permanently conserve private forests in partnership with states. CalFire’s program will provide technical assistance and direct cost-share payments to support the implementation of forest resilience and climate mitigation practices across 2,458 acres of private nonindustrial forest land with this additional funding. United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack emphasized the importance of forests, noting that private forestlands make up more than half of all forests in the U.S. He stated that the Inflation Reduction Act is helping provide the necessary resources for private forest landowners to maintain working forests for future generations to enjoy their benefits.

In 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for the protection of the last mature and old-growth forests on federal lands, but the Trump administration poses an existential threat to what’s left of these ancient trees… Last year the Oregon Board of Forestry, which oversees state forest management, approved proceeding with a habitat conservation plan that will make roughly 45% of our state forests off limits to most logging. Unfortunately, roughly 9,500 acres of mature and old-growth forest, nearly one-quarter of what remains, have been left out of these conservation areas and will be clear-cut. This is where Kotek’s leadership is badly needed. She can provide a ray of hope in light of Trump’s vow to let timber and other extractive industries plunder our federal public lands.

Resource managers tasked with managing the Flathead River’s three forks under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act announced they’re rebooting a public-engagement process despite falling short of a goal to have completed the draft plan and environmental assessment months ago. The Flathead National Forest published its “proposed action” document for public review on the agency’s project website... The document lays out several recommendations to mitigate direct human impacts to natural resources, including prohibiting motor-vehicle camping or parking on gravel bars; requiring solid human waste containment within 200 feet of the river’s edge; and requiring a metal fire pan or fire blanket for campfires above and below the high-water mark within the Wild and Scenic River corridor on the North and Middle forks… The last management plan was adopted in 1980.

CALIFORNIA — President Joe Biden will designate 206,000 acres of volcanic mountains east of Mt. Shasta as the new Sáttítla National Monument. The expected newly designated Sáttítla National Monument is considered a one-of-a-kind geological formation in North America. Sáttítla’s underground aquifer feeds a stream system that supports wildlife and supplies fresh water to millions in California. “Even among California’s remarkable diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, Sáttítla stands out for its exceptionally high fish and wildlife values,” said Joel Weltzien, a day after three California lawmakers called for the national monument designation. …Biden has been pushing to cement his environmental legacy before he leaves office, including protecting public lands and designating hefty federal funds. …President Donald Trump sharply reduced the footprint of Bears Ears National Monument, among others, and sought unsuccessfully to modify or eliminate the Antiquities Act sharply. Biden, in turn, restored Bears Ears and other monuments that shrunk under Trump. 

President Biden plans to add another national monument, this one near Joshua Tree National Park, and is making plans to travel to California in the coming days to dedicate the Chuckwalla National Monument, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Native American tribes, environmentalists and members of Congress have been pushing Mr. Biden to set aside land for the proposed Chuckwalla monument, which lies between the Colorado River and Coachella Valley in Southern California. The designation will add a large new chunk of land to the area next to the Joshua Tree National Park — making it the biggest contiguous protected area in the country. …The designation will bolster the Biden administration’s efforts to protect at least 30% of lands and waters by 2030, and will block the Chuckwalla from mining, drilling and logging, sources said. …Biden has created six monuments and expanded two others officials have said.

If you go to a tree nursery, they will often tell you that the best time to plant a tree is today. For one West Seattle family, the best time started 70 years ago, when their grandfather began purchasing regenerating timberland with an eye to the future. Just this month, Robert Wise’s vision and his family’s work stewarding that land led to his grandchildren and their spouses being named National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year by the American Forest Foundation… While the Wises were raising their two sons and daughter in the city, Robert wasn’t initially able to realize the dream of owning his own timberland. But in 1954, he had the opportunity.

Just days after Christmas in 1973 President Richard Nixon signed into law the Endangered Species Act, establishing one of the strongest conservation laws in history. …The Northern Spotted Owl has proven to be the most controversial of animal species listed. Its “threatened” designation in the late 1980s sparked legal battles between logging companies and environmental groups later named the Timber Wars. …The Northwest Forest Plan was amended in a monumental compromise between environmental groups and the timber industry in 2022 when Governor Kate Brown singed into law the Private Forest Accord. …The Forest Service has proposed additional amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan that may open up millions of acres of western lands to logging. The final environmental impact statement of that plan will be released in 2025 under the Trump administration, which has promised extensive deregulation. The Northern Spotted Owl remains listed as endangered.

When Oregon’s 2024 fire season ended in late October, over 1.9 million acres had burned across the state. For Tyler McCarty, district manager at the Coos Forest Protective Association, fires today are a “night and day difference” from what they were 20 years ago. …“When I first started, a two or three thousand acre fire was a big fire,” McCarty said. “One of the fires that my instant management team was on this year was 180,000 acres.” As the Oregon fire season trends longer and fires burn larger, McCarty and others who work with Oregon’s remaining few forest protective associations are grappling with questions about how they will retain personnel and secure enough funding to fight the fires of the future. “Right now we’re operating in a system with a funding model that doesn’t support the fires that we’re seeing today.”

PORT GAMBLE, Washington — Over 450 acres of forest land has been acquired by Great Peninsula Conservancy, completing a major piece of the historic Kitsap Forest & Bay preservation effort near the North Kitsap community of Port Gamble. The Bremerton-based nonprofit announced the purchase of North Kitsap Divide Community Forest on Monday. Procuring this land parcel now ensures the forest is protected and managed by GPC as a conservation and recreational resource for Kitsap residents. …This marks the final accumulation in the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project, creating a more than 5,000-acre wildlife corridor stretching from the Hood Canal to Puget Sound’s Central Basin. Also including a portion of the future route of the Puget Sound to Olympics Trail, which will bridge the Olympic Mountains to Sound Greenway.

State officials have announced that Darren Goodding will serve as the first manager of the Elliot State Research Forest. … Most recently, he oversaw planning, science application, and communications for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Goodding earned a master’s degree in sustainable forest management from Oregon State University, with additional study in natural resources and recreation resource management at OSU, advanced silviculture at Colorado State University and forest carbon management at Michigan State University. He will begin his new role on January 13th. …Goodding currently serves on the boards of the Oregon Tree Farm System and the Washington State Society of American Foresters, the steering committee of the Northern Blues Forest Collaborative, and is the federal liaison to the Northeast Oregon Forests Resource Advisory Committee.

…Dead and dying trees — referred to as snags — pose severe risks to public safety, firefighter effectiveness and long-term forest health. Yet, contrary to claims, post-fire removal of dead and dying trees on state and federal lands is minimal, hindered by relentless litigation that threatens lives, compromises recovery efforts and delays the natural regrowth of our treasured forests. …Snags are far from benign. They fall unpredictably, endangering those working in or passing through these areas. When ignited, these dead trees burn intensely, creating spot fires and releasing embers that exacerbate the spread of wildfires. As they decay, snags create dense brush fields — a dangerous cocktail of highly flammable fuels. …By supporting post-fire salvage operations, we can ensure our forests recover more quickly, safely and sustainably. This is not just about restoring the land — it is about protecting lives, preserving our natural heritage and preventing the next catastrophic fire.

Logging would be allowed in millions of acres of national forest in Washington, Oregon and California, including older trees currently off-limits to cutting, under proposed amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan. The conservation plan was enacted in 1994 and includes 24 million acres across federal land. It was intended to preserve mature and old-growth forests and protect species, including the marbled murrelet, threatened and endangered salmon and the northern spotted owl. Now the Biden administration has embarked on an update of the plan to address changes, including a loss of nearly 7% of protected old-growth forest within the plan area because of wildfire. The loss has eliminated gains of old growth achieved during the first 25 years of the plan. The Forest Service intends to issue a final environmental impact statement on the proposed amendments in 2025, under the incoming Trump administration. What that will mean for the outcome is unclear.

Mike Dunleavy

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is asking President-elect Donald Trump to immediately reverse the Biden administration’s Alaska environmental and tribal lands policies, claiming those policies hurt the state’s economy. “Your election will hail in a new era of optimism and opportunity, and Alaska stands ready to and is eager to work with you to repair this damage wrought by the previous administration, and to set both Alaska and America on a course to prosperity,” Dunleavy said in a cover letter… Dunleavy’s policy document said that Trump, as soon as he returns to the White House, should issue an Alaska-focused executive order that removes restrictions on oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve. …Dunleavy wants the new Trump administration to abandon the current Interior policy in favor of putting some lands into trust for the benefit of Native tribes.  

A proposal to put nearly 33,000 acres of working forestland in northwest Montana into a conservation easement has cleared its last major hurdle. In a 3-1 vote on Monday, the Montana Land Board adopted language amending an agreement between timber company Green Diamond and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks that closes the book on a conservation project that took four years and nearly $40 million to finalize. The Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement is located between Kalispell and Libby and encompasses parts of the Salish and Cabinet mountains. The roughly 33,000 acres of land will be protected from development to support wildlife habitat and “key landscape connectivity,” according to Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). …The easement is perpetual, meaning the terms of the agreement will remain in effect indefinitely, even if Green Diamond later sells the land.

Gary Chastagner

For more than 40 years, Washington State University Extension scientist Gary Chastagner has found solutions to Christmas tree diseases and other related problems, helping ensure the beloved holiday tradition remains possible. Known worldwide as “Dr. Christmas Tree,” Chastagner has also played an important role in keeping Christmas tree farms in the Pacific Northwest and beyond economically viable. “When I receive letters of support from family Christmas tree farmers expressing how our research has had a positive impact on their ability to produce high-quality trees, I share them with everyone in our lab,” said Chastagner, who is based at the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center. Chastagner didn’t intend to become one of the world’s foremost experts on tree and ornamental flower bulb pathologies. But a biology teacher’s enthusiasm proved infectious in his formative years, and Chastagner’s curiosity about plants and their pathologies took root.

Research from the University of Californiais shedding light on when and where to plant tree seedlings to help restore forests after high-severity wildfires, and it has a lot to do with shrubs.  In hotter, drier areas where natural regeneration is weaker, well-timed tree planting can boost recovery by up to 200%, but the outcome also depends on competition with shrubs, a paper in the journal Forest Ecology and Management concludes… In areas where a lot of shrubs are present, it’s best to plant seedlings within a year of a wildfire to avoid competition from these woody plants. In areas with fewer shrubs, planting three years after a fire is more effective because some of these woody plants would have grown back, but not so many to consume available nutrients and water.

A federal judge has thrown out an Oregon timber company’s lawsuit faulting the U.S. Forest Service for allegedly allowing the spread of a devastating 2020 wildfire. The negligence complaint filed by Freres Timber of Lyons must be dismissed because it challenges discretionary firefighting decisions for which the government can’t be held liable, according to U.S. District Judge Michael McShane. Though the Forest Service was operating under an official directive to fully suppress the Beachie Creek Fire, the exact methods were still up to the agency, the judge said. …Under federal law, U.S. government officials can be held liable for negligence and similar claims if they fail to carry out required actions, but not for certain discretionary decisions based on policy considerations. In this case, Freres Lumber alleged the Forest Service was required to maximize its response to the Beachie Creek Fire based on a formal “full suppression” directive and official agency fire management policy.

EUGENE, Ore. — A million dollars is heading to Eugene and the McKenzie River Valley to help with wildfire resiliency. Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden secured major investments to strengthen forest health and wildfire resiliency back in Spring of 2024. Among these areas strengthened by the investments are the protection of public lands and the environment, securing important programs for tribes, and supporting critical projects across Oregon communities. Funds from these investments have been awarded to the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) in the amount of $1 million towards wildfire resiliency projects. These projects will be in partnership with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), McKenzie Fire and Rescue (MFR) and Eugene Springfield Fire (ESF).

EUGENE, Oregon — While city councils are on holiday break, Lane County Commissioners are scheduled to meet this week to hear feedback and vote on a supplemental budget, hear a presentation from timber industry representatives on its efforts to improve housing affordability and fire resiliency, continue a hearing on three proposed homes in forested land near Oakridge and vote on a contract to provide mental health services in the Lane County Juvenile Justice Center. …County commission meetings stream at this link.

In partnership with Stimson Lumber Company and the Idaho Department of Lands, nonprofit Trust for Public Land announced an easement agreement Wednesday that will protect 10,846 acres of working forests in Bonner and Boundary counties. Under the agreement, IDL holds the development rights to land owned and logged by Stimson Lumber Company, ensuring the easement areas will not be subdivided and will continue to contribute to the local timber industry. “By protecting over 10,000 acres of working forestland in northern Idaho, Trust for Public Land has ensured that these vital landscapes will be preserved for future generations,” said Trust for Public Land Northern Rockies Director Dick Dolan. …IDL Director Dustin Miller and Stimson Lumber Company President Andrew Miller expressed their commitment to preserving working forests in the area and protecting the longevity of Idaho’s timber industry. 

Oregon lawmakers meeting in a special session Thursday approved spending $218 million to pay off hundreds of unpaid invoices from contractors who worked during the historic 2024 wildfire season. …The Senate voted 25-2 in favor and the House voted 42-2. The bill specifically directs $191.5 million from the general fund to the Oregon Department of Forestry and $26.5 million to the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal. …Some Republicans blamed the extent of the wildfires on what they called “mismanagement” of the state forests. …Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale called on the head of the Department of Forestry, Cal Mukumoto, to resign, saying the special session was an indication of a failure “on every level” from the agency to communicate the issue in a timely manner. …Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s proposed budget recommends redirecting $150 million to the Department of Forestry and State Fire Marshal for the two-year budget that begins July 1.

Wind turbulence is a well-known factor in the complex wildland fire environment. Sometimes it is the wind shear over vegetation, buildings, or terrain, and other times it’s the buoyant forces from solar surface heating or thermal plume injections from the fire itself. For a smokejumper, parachuting from a low-flying aircraft in a remote and rugged landscape, turbulence near the ground at the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is of particular concern. Scientists at the Rocky Mountain Research Station have published a study on how to better predict terrain-induced turbulence to assist smokejumper operations. …This study concluded that WindNinja’s lesser-known ability to simulate wind turbulence could be of use for assessing smokejumper operations under moderate to high wind conditions. They also suggest that although this work focused on smoke jumping, real-time turbulence predictions from WindNinja could be useful for other near-surface firefighting aerial operations.

Oregon lawmakers will convene Thursday for a brief emergency session related to this year’s record-setting wildfire season. At the heart of the session are hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid bills owed to the workers who helped put out blazes… This year, wildfire touched over 1.9 million acres, making it Oregon’s most destructive fire season in modern times in terms of acres burned… In the end, Oregon spent a whopping $350 million fighting fires across the state… The Oregon Department of Forestry can usually pay contractors within a couple of months. But this year’s costs far exceeded what the state had on hand as it awaited federal reimbursements. The federal government helps pay for wildfires through disaster funds and reimburses the state whenever Oregon lends firefighting support on federally managed fires. But it can take years for those federal dollars to make their way to Oregon.

Some 250,000 acres of Maine fir trees are at risk of defoliation from a moth that could cause millions of dollars of harm to the state’s economy if ignored, forestry experts said during a webinar Wednesday. The spruce budworm is an emerging threat that has already been spotted in Aroostook County near the Canadian border earlier this year, affecting some 3,500 acres of trees, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Forestry experts worry that the spruce budworm could spread quickly and damage up to 250,000 acres of Maine’s forests next year. As part of a webinar sponsored by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, they recommended early intervention with aerial pesticide spraying starting in May.

Oregon lawmakers meeting in a special session Thursday will vote on spending $218 million in general funds to pay off bills for the estimated $350 million in firefighting costs during the historic 2024 wildfire season that burned more than 1.9 million acres. The money would allow the state to process the remaining payments to vendors and allow the Department of Forestry and the State Fire Marshal to continue program operations through the end of the two-year budget cycle on June 30. “We have a responsibility to pay our bills to the brave individuals who helped protect our homes and property during this terrible wildfire season,” Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, said in a statement. “A narrow special session focused on this common goal is the best path forward.”

A new five-year partnership between Washington State University Vancouver and the U.S. Forest Service will give graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to study wood and soil alongside professors and government scientists. The partnership will establish labs to study the relationship between soils, the local climate and the trees supported by the soil using stable isotope and trace element analysis. “It’s to find new ways, better ways, to identify illegal wood that’s coming into the United States,” said Christine Portfors, vice chancellor for research and graduate education. “This is a really unique opportunity to have scientists who work with the U.S. Forest Service on campus.” …Marc Kramer leads the organic geochemistry and stable isotope laboratory at the university. …“We’re providing new methods to help verify the origin of wood,” Kramer said. “ …Kramer said he anticipates the lab will run the first set of samples in early 2025.

After issuing a 60-day intent to sue in September, nonprofit environmental law group Earthjustice filed a formal complaint against federal agencies involved in the Bitterroot National Forest Plan. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, criticizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Bitterroot National Forest for failure to follow guidelines enforced by the Endangered Species Act and seeks to rule the plan as unlawful. …The lawsuit centers around the Bitterroot Forest Plan amendments’ erasure of road density limitations and how potential new road construction could impact grizzly bear and bull trout population in the Bitterroot. …Jim Miller, president of the Friends of the Bitterroot, told the Ravalli Republic in September that road densities in the Bitterroot Forest are “probably the biggest contributor to stream sedimentation, harming trout fisheries.”

Arizona – Surviving desert heat, alpine cold, and meager rainfall each year, two-needle pinyon pines (Pinus edulis) are the backbone of many forests in the southwestern United States. Their stout branches offer shade for bighorn sheep and sagebrush lizards, while their yearly crop of nuts has nourished humans for millennia. But 150 years of grazing, fire suppression, and other land-use changes have transformed these forests. In many areas, thickets of young trees are choking out woodlands once dominated by widely spaced pines more than a century old. … To help restore the traditional ecology of these dry woodlands, Arizona researchers worked with undergraduate students to remove the dense growths of saplings on land used by Navajo ranchers. …The researchers removed nearly two-thirds of the trees in the forest by thinning most pinyons with a trunk diameter under 25 centimeters…

KALISPELL, Mont. — The Flathead National Forest and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation are working together to reduce wildfire risk through the Jackknife Project. The project is made possible by the Good Neighbor Authority, which allows the two agencies to plan and coordinate forest management projects. A Eureka company, Stoken Logging will harvest about 800 trees per acre and will leave about 100 to 250 trees per acre as part of a timber sale. The project spans over 1,000 acres on Good Creek Road and the harvest will allow residual trees to have more access to light water and nutrients. The reduction in trees will reduce the ability of wildfires to reach the top of trees, known as a crown fires.

GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA, California – Each year aerial observers for the USDA Forest Service ride in small fixed-wing aircraft… looking for the yellow or red-brown of dried or discolored foliage. It’s their job to observe, survey and report conifer and hardwood mortality, defoliation, and other damage. They also note several other factors, including the damage type, affected forest area percentage and severity, impacted tree species, as well as the probable damage-causing agent. …Forest land managers use the annual mortality data to plan harvests in order to salvage recently killed trees or trees in beetle-threatened areas before the beetles can get to them. Others use it for research, fire behavior forecasting, invasive insect and disease monitoring and much more. …This year, observers recorded 439,000 acres of mortality, which is less than the five-year annual average of 730,000 acres. …The aerial survey reports are available publicly on the Forest Service’s website.