Region Archives: US West

DNA samples from one of the world’s largest and oldest plants — a quaking aspen tree (Populus tremuloides) in Utah called Pando — have helped researchers to determine its age and revealed clues about its evolutionary history. By sequencing hundreds of samples from the tree, researchers confirmed that Pando is between 16,000 and 80,000 years old, verifying previous suggestions that it is among the oldest organisms on Earth. They were also able to track patterns of genetic variation spread throughout the tree that offer clues about how it has adapted and evolved over the course of its lifetime. The findings were posted on the bioRxiv preprint server on 24 October.The work has not yet been peer reviewed.

PORT ANGELES — The Elwha Legacy Forest Coalition may not be the Lorax, but they still speak for the trees. On Tuesday, the state Board of Natural Resources (BNR), which oversees the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will vote on whether to move forward with three timber sales, totaling 725 acres, that are fully or partially located within the Elwha River Watershed. To oppose these timber sales and their potential environmental impacts, organizations and citizens bonded together to form the Elwha Legacy Forest Coalition. …These forests in questions have been labelled “legacy” forests by advocates — mature, structurally complex forests that contain a breadth of diversity. …“Whenever and wherever we find it [old growth], it is permanently conserved,” said Duane Emmons, DNR assistant deputy supervisor for State Uplands. …If the sales are postponed or canceled, many junior taxing districts are worried about the loss of timber sale revenue.

Two environmental groups filed a lawsuit Thursday to stop a plan to kill barred owls, which is part of a federal plan to save endangered spotted owls. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington state challenging a plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill a maximum of 450,000 barred owls over the next 30 years. Northern spotted owl populations have been rapidly declining due in part to competition from invasive barred owls, which originate in the eastern United States. …USFWS said it worked for years on a plan that would remove less than one-half of 1% of the North American barred owl population. …“As wildlife professionals, we approached this issue carefully and did not come to this decision lightly,” USFWS Oregon State Supervisor Kessina Lee said in announcing the decision in August.

Monday night’s planning meeting for the McDonald-Dunn was the fourth public session in Oregon State University’s multi-year process to come up with a new management plan for these public forests. One would think the leaders of the College of Forestry would have fine-tuned their process for public engagement, but the litany of complaints from frustrated citizens showed that they still have a lot to learn. The unwelcome involvement and comments by the dean of the College created further discontent with OSU’s planning process. …It is both alarming and telling that nearly all twelve of OSU’s scenarios still involve a significant amount of clearcutting, termed, “rotational forestry.” On average, OSU’s twelve scenarios dedicate roughly 40% of the McDonald-Dunn to clearcut forestry. …It remains to be seen whether OSU is willing to incorporate public input to any meaningful degree. At Monday’s meeting, the community soundly rejected both OSU’s forest management and its approach to forest management. 

The closure of Roseburg Forest Products in Missoula and Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake put 250 workers out of a job this year. Samuel Scott is a forest economist with the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. In a presentation Friday requested by the Montana Forest Collaboration Network, Scott said the mill closures could lead to a 20% reduction in Montana’s timber harvest, if the lumber industry isn’t able to add processing capacity. “…This is a worst case scenario of where we could be headed if nothing changes,” said Scott. It’s unclear how or when the work done by Pyramid Mountain and Roseburg could be replaced. Pyramid Mountain began auctioning off its machinery and equipment last week. The company says the mill is working with a potential buyer and that they would likely bring in all new equipment if they complete the purchase.

WASHINGTON — A petition seeking to stop a logging and forest management project in October Mountain State Forest was signed by nearly 600 citizens and submitted this week to Gov. Maura Healey. The petition by the group, Preserve October Mountain State Forest, was also sent to state Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo. The document says the group wants to not only stop the project in what is the state’s largest forest, but also to place this entire property into a forest reserve “so it will be primarily by natural processes with minimal human interference.” “The goal,” the petition says, “is to retain an intact forest for wildlife, water and soil protection, carbon accumulation and recreation.”

Three forest stands whose timbers have been authorized for sale but had been paused – are now back on the chopping block as the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) will consider re-approving them for auction on November 5. These forest stands are Juneau, Carrot, and Cabbage Patch, representing 430 acres of forestland. Money-wise, the three forest stands represent $1.9 million in timber revenue for the county, according to projections by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Olympia and Rochester school districts are the most significant beneficiaries, which stand to gain $596,129 and $367,850 from the revenues over several years. All three stands are in the Capitol State Forest and are considered “legacy” forests, especially by certain environmental groups. Legacy Forest Defense Coalition defines legacy forests as “forests that retain significant biological, structural, and genetic legacies of the natural and old growth forests that once dominated the Pacific Northwest.”

Nicole Hynson normally gets roped in to help when all else fails. The conservation biologist from the University of Hawaii is involved in bringing back all kinds of critically endangered plants from the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, she’s kept busy in her home state, Hawaii, which is also known as the extinction capital of the world. Her latest conservation target is a flowering tree that’s fighting a losing battle in the wild: the Gardenia brighamii, or, as it’s known among some local communities, the na’u. The na’u is one of three gardenia species endemic to the archipelago. The na’u’s crowning glory is its fragrant flower, a pearly blossom that was once frequently woven into traditional floral wreaths called leis.

Trucks line an unpaved road about 50 minutes up Robinette Mountain Road near Dayton, Washington. Crews are ready to burn over 37 acres at the Rainwater Wildlife Area. As wildfire season winds down, crews around Washington and Oregon perform prescribed fires. Lindsay Chiono is a wildlife habitat ecologist with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. During this burn, she’s also the firing boss. That means she’s guiding the lighters — the people setting the fire. “We’ve tried to burn this unit for three years in a row. Just a few weeks ago was summer, and high fire hazard. So it’s a small window up this high elevation,” she said. Chiono and 22 members from tribal, governmental and private organizations performed the prescribed fire on the tribe’s lands in late September.

Michael Bennet

The Colorado congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., is calling on the U.S. Forest Service to continue partnerships with Rocky Mountain communities amid the agency’s hiring freeze on seasonal employees. Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper as well as Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen penned a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary. In particular, the letter takes issue with the Forest Service applying the hiring freeze not only to positions funded through the federal budget but also to positions supported by local funding… “We are deeply concerned by the Forest Service’s announcement about the agency’s budget shortfall and subsequent hiring freeze of all non-firefighting, temporary seasonal employees,” the letter states. “Colorado’s forests are some of the most visited in the nation and serve as critical infrastructure for Colorado.”

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry has announced the launch of the Prescribed Fire Liability Program. The pilot program is intended to increase the use of prescribed fire and cultural burning and support fire practitioners by providing liability coverage for enrolled burns. Introducing periodic fire to fire-adapted landscapes and reducing forest fuels has been shown to lessen the potential for high-intensity wildfires and the large volume of smoke they produce. While the rates of escape and loss are very low due to the careful planning and preparation required for prescribed fire and cultural burning, there is always some residual risk when working with fire. This risk, and the resulting liability for damages due to escape if uninsured, can deter some practitioners from using beneficial fire.

Dominick A. DellaSala

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been trying to privatize the Tongass for years. Her latest effort, the so-called “Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act,” S.1889/H.R. 4748, is a giveaway to corporate interests of 115,200 acres, including 80,000 acres of prime old-growth forests and roadless areas. …And it would continue promoting the dispossession and disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples and local communities that depend on the Tongass’ world-class fish and wildlife populations that have sustained the ecology and economy of the region. …My research shows that it is the region’s best natural climate solution, storing about 20% of all the carbon in the entire national forest system. …Over 14 attempts to overturn the 2001 Roadless Rule have been met with legal challenges and have ultimately failed because the public, scientists, and Indigenous people like Wanda Culp have spoken truth to power.

Last week, the US Forest Service announced it would stop prescribed burning in California “for the foreseeable future,” stating that the as a precautionary measure to ensure the availability of staff and equipment in case of potential wildfires. But temps are falling across California, and state, tribal authorities, and prescribed burn associations have commenced with their prescribed burns. If the federal agency doesn’t hold up its end of the work, all that mitigation work can be undone. …it’s essential to understand the history of the state and the intricate mosaic of private, state, and federal land that constitutes the forests. …the state and federal governments relied on a “paramilitary-like program” focused on fire suppression… Very little was done regarding fire prevention… One of the problems was that colonialist attitudes of fire officials constantly disregarded the valuable knowledge of forest management practices held by California’s Indigenous communities.

The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire (TNC) announced today that it has been awarded $10 million from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to administer a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to support Climate Resilient Forest Management in New Hampshire and Western Maine. This significant funding, matched by approximately $1 million in partner contributions, will support efforts to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change through innovative forest management practices. The project will build on the successful Climate Resilient Forest Management (CRFM) project that has been led by TNC, the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, and the University of Vermont since 2022… In all, The Nature Conservancy is receiving $102.5 million for conservation projects across six states.

The U.S. Forest Service has issued a nationwide hiring freeze on all non-fire seasonal employees, a decision that could have ripple effects across Colorado mountain communities, where vast swathes of land are national forests… Council member Jay Beckerman described the impact of the Forest Service’s hiring freeze this way — “We’re going to be leaning on our staff, we’re going to be leaning on volunteer organizations to do some of the work that was previously done by seasonal summer staff for the Forest Service.”.. U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced that the federal agency wouldn’t be hiring any seasonal workers, other than seasonal firefighting positions, in fiscal year 2025. “We’re going to do what we can with what we have. We’re not going to try to do everything that is expected of us with less people.”

In response to recent proposals for how to manage 250,000 acres in the Madison and Gallatin mountain ranges, the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance introduced its own wildlife-focused legislation Thursday night at the Museum of the Rockies. If their plan succeeds, the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Act would designate all 250,000 roadless acres in the Gallatins as federally protected wilderness, restricting nearly all commercial activities, roads, structures, motor vehicles and mechanical transport. …While no members of Montana’s current congressional delegation have stepped up to spearhead the bill, if passed, it would designate 124,000 acres of new wilderness in the Madison and Gallatin ranges, create the 102,000-acre Gallatin Wilderness Area and add 22,000 acres to the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. The act would prohibit new roads, trails, and motorized or mechanized use in these areas while also legalizing historic non-wilderness uses in parts of the current Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area by removing its status but still allowing for future wilderness consideration.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Drivers heading up or down Highway 50 into Carson City will see logs piled to the south. The 40 acres where those logs reside is the location of Tahoe Forest Products, the first new industrial-scale sawmill in the Sierra Nevada in several decades. “The question of why get into the sawmill business,” company chairman Kevin Leary says, “when most of the industry is losing money is a very good one.” …Leary explains after fires like Caldor, Tamarack and others that have burned millions of acres in California, it’s ignited a political and public push to get a handle on the unhealthy and overstocked forests that have lead up to this mega-fire crisis. …Lisa Herron with the USDA Forest Service-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, explains prior to Tahoe Forest Products, the closest mills were located far enough away from the Tahoe basin to make transporting logs cost prohibitive.

Debra Lekanoff

…Healthy forests, of which old growth is an important component, provide many benefits to people and nature, including: providing sources of clean drinking water; mitigating the impacts of severe weather events such as wildfire, floods, and drought; sequestering carbon from the atmosphere; providing wildlife habitat; and, generating revenue for local economies through sustainable forestry, tourism, and recreation opportunities. Today, primarily due to a history of aggressive timber harvest, old-growth forests only account for about 17% of forested lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. …While logging is no longer the primary cause of old-growth forest loss, new challenges such as climate change combined with a century of fire suppression are increasingly putting our remaining old growth at risk. Forests in Washington state and beyond need to account for threats such as ongoing and elevated severe wildfires.

This week, the U.S. Forest Service directed its employees in California to stop prescribed burning “for the foreseeable future,” a directive that officials said is meant to preserve staff and equipment to fight wildfires if needed. The pause comes amid the crucial fall window for planned, controlled burns, which remove fuel and can protect homes from future wildfires — raising concerns that the move will increase long-term fire risks. “There are two times in the year when it’s safe to do prescribed fire: in the fall right before the rains come, and in the spring when things are dry enough to burn but not dry enough to burn it in a dangerous way,” said Michael Wara, energy and climate expert at Stanford University. He worries half of the prescribed fire season on federal lands will be sacrificed because of this decision.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Forest health is a top priority of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), a landscape-scale collaboration and partnership between nearly 80 public and private organizations to achieve the environmental goals of the region. To date, partners have treated nearly 95,000 acres in Lake Tahoe Basin forests to reduce hazardous fuels. After decades of fire suppression, Tahoe Basin’s forests are overstocked and highly vulnerable to insects, disease, and catastrophic wildfire. …Land managers use different methods during forest thinning treatments that include mechanical and hand thinning. …Short-term effects of forest thinning projects include temporary impacts to recreational areas and changes to the appearance of Lake Tahoe Basin forests. …These areas recover quickly and improve ecologically as new vegetation growth occurs within a few years.

With broad public support and the endorsement of Gov. Greg Gianforte, the Montana Land Board’s 3-2 vote gave conditional approval to a nearly 33,000-acre conservation easement on working forests between Kalispell and Libby. …The tentative approval is on the condition that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and its partners amend the terms of the easement to expressly guarantee a third-party owner’s subsurface mineral rights. As the board considered the project’s first phase, which would protect 32,981 acres in the Salish and Cabinet mountains, proponents described it as the culmination of a years-long effort by FWP, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land and landowner Green Diamond Resource Company. Despite the succession of private ownership, the land has been managed for de facto public access for more than a quarter century, in large part because the timber companies have been invested in long-term forest management.

San Jose State wildfire researchers are studying the impact of the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fire in the Santa Cruz mountains and the importance of forest management to keep forests safe from extreme wildfires. Nadia Hamey, Lead Forester and Property Manager at the San Vicente Redwoods remembers all too well when the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through the forest, calling it an intense time. …Hamey said, just six months before the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, they did a prescribed burn that ultimately protected that part of the forest. “So, it kind of skipped over the prescribed burn footprint, and the Crown Fire kept raging through the area that had not had a prescribed to burn,” said Hamey. The contrast is striking. There is a clear difference where the forest was untouched by wildfire and then just a few feet away where the trees are burnt and blackened.

Wildfires are accelerating at a pace so fast that the trees burned can’t be replaced fast enough. Now, experts are trying to move beyond their old methods of plant and pray. …The Forest Service typically requires trees that are being replanted to be the same species at the same elevations as before a fire. But with climate change complicating matters, that regulation might be changing. …That’s where groups like the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute come in. “Our goal is to understand how tree species are surviving outside of their current existing range. …”Our goal is to understand how tree species are surviving outside of their current existing range. …we wanted to push where a given species exists on a mountain to understand if they are able to go a little bit higher in elevation, or perhaps a little bit lower,” said Stevens-Rumann.

SEATTLE — Ty Abernathy tips his head back and judges where this big tree will fall as he starts cutting it with a chain saw. …For more than a century, this has been a way of doing business in Washington, cutting forests owned by the state and today managed by the Department of Natural Resources. But in an era of climate warming — and growing climate activism — there is a new war in the woods. …This fight is not over old growth, the trees sprouted before 1850 and never cut since settlers came here. The conflict now playing out across Washington is over the old-growth forests of tomorrow. These are second-growth forests originating before 1945 and never sprayed with herbicide or replanted to a dense monoculture of nursery-grown seedlings. …Suddenly, DNR timber sales that can fetch millions of dollars are being paused, canceled, litigated and protested, throwing the state’s timber business into disarray.