Fall burning planned on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests will be conducting fall prescribed burns beginning as early as Sept. 10 and continuing through September and into October, until weather or air quality conditions are no longer favorable.

Roads and trail heads that lead into these areas will be posted with caution signs and a map of the prescribed fire locations. 

Powell Ranger Station is planning to broadcast burn a 20 acre unit in the Saddle Camp area along FS road 5601. Smoke may be seen along FS road 107 and FS road 500.

Machine piles in the Saddle Camp and Granite Pass areas within the vicinity of the Powell Divide Timber Sale, along with hand piles near Rocky Point Lookout and the Powell Ranger Station, are also targeted for burning.

Moose Creek Ranger District is planning pile burning in the Johnson Bar area and the Swiftwater and Iron Mountain timber sale areas.

As weather and conditions allow prescribed fire treatments may be applied to three units in the O’Hara area. Visitors may see smoke and meet forest personnel along FS roads 470 (Coolwater) and FS road 464 (O’Hara) during burn operations. 

Lochsa Ranger Station as part of the North Lochsa Face Project is planning a landscape burn in the Middle Butte area north of FS road 483. The prescribed fire treatment is estimated to be 1,000 acres.

The purpose of the burn is to reintroduce fire to the landscape, reduce woody fuel loadings which also reduces the potential for large, catastrophic wildfires, and allow vegetation, naturally found in these areas, to return. 

Additional broadcast burning is planned in late September or early October in the Dead Canyon Timber Sale area near the upper portion of Deadman Creek and Cedar Knob and in the Cabin Timber Sale area near Cabin Creek. The prescribed fire treatments will reduce woody debris to create openings for tree planting.

North Fork Ranger District is planning pile burning in the Middle Bugs Timber Sale area. Piles are located near Lean-To Ridge off of FS road 555 and Beaver Dam Saddle off of FS road 103.

Palouse Ranger District is planning to broadcast burn 30 acres in the Abes Animals Timber Sale near Bovill and an additional 15 acres in the Robo Stew Timber Sale near the community of Elk River. 

Machine piles will be burned in the Cherry Pit, located near Helmer, and Abes Animal timber sale areas. Hand piles located near Jerome Creek, near Harvard, and near the Palouse Ranger District are also targeted for burning. 

Salmon River Ranger District is scheduled to broadcast burn approximately 336 acres within the Festus, Adams Stewardship and the Buckshot timber sale areas.

Approximately 129 acres will be treated within the Festus Timber Sale southeast near White Bird Station off of FS road 9485.

45 acres located in two logging units within the Adams Stewardship Timber Sale near the Adams Work Center, FS road 221, and FS road 309.

Treatments in the Buckshot Timber Sale will total 162 acres and is located near Willow Flat off of FS road 354.

Prescribed fire treatments in various Ponderosa Pine plantations near McComas Meadows, Earthquake Basin, and in the Cove area at the head waters of Bully Creek are planned. 200-300 acres will be treated.

Red River Ranger District, weather permitting, will begin prescribed fire treatments September 12, 2016 and continue until weather and conditions no longer support burning operations. Prescribed fire treatments are scheduled in the Red River Meadows area and the Soda Creek area. 

Acres and locations scheduled include: Approximately 100 acres in the 66 Timber Sale located on the west side of Red River Meadows and below FS road 1800 (Cole Porter Road), 80 acres, Looney 2 Timber Sale, east of FS road 222 along FS road 1806 (Loon Creek Road), 14 acres, Blanco Timber Sale, and east of FS road 222.

Also north of FS road 1183 (Blanco Road), 100 acres, Jungle Trail Timber Sale, located between FS road 234 (Red River Hot Springs Road) and FS road 1172 (Soda Creek Road), and 200 acres in the French Gulch Timber Sale along FS road 9822 (French Gulch Road).

Fire personnel will work closely with the Idaho/Montana Airshed Group, the National Weather Service, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to insure that smoke impacts are minimized. 

Smoke from these prescribed fires will be much less than what would be expected from a wildfire. If smoke concentrations approach air quality standards fire ignition may be delayed until air quality improves.

Residual smoke may be visible for up to two weeks following ignition, but most of the smoke from the fires will dissipate one or two days after ignition. 

Specific information on the location and timing of these prescribed burns are available at each of the district offices. Powell Ranger Station – Matt Young or Brandon Cichowski, 208-942-3113, Moose Creek Ranger District – Tim Schaeffer or Aaron Skinner, 208-926-4258, Lochsa Ranger Station – Sean Gaines or Neal Cox, 208-926-4274, North Fork Ranger District – Mike Lubke or TC Peterson, 208-476-4541, Palouse Ranger District – Lisa Spinelli or Alan Carlson, 208-875-1131, Salmon River Ranger District – Mike Blinn or Kevin Barger, 208-983-1950, Red River Ranger District – Josh Bransford or Tom McLeod, 208-842-2245.

Forest Proposes Adding Cabins and Lookouts to Recreation Rental Program and Increase and Implement New Fees at Several Recreation Sites Across the Forest

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are interested in receiving your comments on a proposal to increase the fee at one campground; and implement a new fee at two campgrounds, three group recreation sites and four cabin/lookout rentals. 

Through this proposal, if implemented, two cabins and two lookouts will be available for public rental, adding to the Forest’s popular recreation rental program. They will also bring several campgrounds, group sites and a dump station into alignment with other sites offering similar benefits and services. 

While these sites have historically been free, the forest has invested in items such as; potable water; increasing recreation site capacity and amenities, such as group sites and shelters; improved toilet facilities; and new picnic tables and other infrastructure.

A reasonable fee, paid by users of these sites and services, will help ensure that the Forest can continue maintaining and improving the sites for future generations. 

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is proposing to charge fees at the following sites:

· Aquarius – Purple Beach Group Site, North Fork Ranger District: Proposed fee of $15 per night and an additional $5 extra vehicle, per night fee for more than 2 vehicles. The adjacent day use picnic area will remain free to public use. 

· Cedar Flats Sewer Dump Station, Fenn Ranger Station, Moose Creek Ranger District: Proposed fee of $10 per use/waste dump.

· Elk River Day Use Picnic & Group Shelter, Palouse Ranger District: Proposed fee of $25 daily rental of the group day use facilities which includes a large group shelter with a maximum capacity of 150 persons and parking for 30 vehicles. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System.

· Fish Creek Group Site, Salmon River Ranger District: Proposed fee of $25 per night with a maximum capacity of 75 and 20 vehicles. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System.

· Gold Meadows Cabin Rental, Lochsa/Powell Ranger District: Proposed fee of $40 per night. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System.

· Liz Creek Cabin Rental, North Fork Ranger District: Proposed fee of $40 per night. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System.

· Lolo Creek Campground, Lochsa/Powell Ranger District: Proposed fee of $12 per night.

· Partridge Creek Campground, Palouse Ranger District; Proposed fee of $12 per night. 

· Scurvy Mountain Lookout Rental, North Fork Ranger District: Proposed fee of $45 per night. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System. 

· Wallow Mountain Lookout Rental, North Fork Ranger District: Proposed fee of $45 per night. Advance reservations for this site will be available through the National Recreation Reservation System. 

Additional construction is required at Partridge Creek Campground prior to implementation of proposed fee, and is planned to occur in 2017. No fee will be charged prior to completion. The four proposed cabin and fire lookout rentals have not been available for recreation use prior to this date. An analysis of nearby similar recreation sites indicates that the proposed sites and associated fees are in alignment with other offerings.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act which allows the Forest Service to retain 95 percent of fees collected at certain recreation sites and use these funds locally to operate and maintain and improve these sites. 

Forest managers will be accepting comments until October 14, 2016. For more information, questions or to provide comments about any of these fee change proposals, please contact Diana Jones at (208) 476-8239. You can mail comments to: Diana Jones, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, 12730 U.S. Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544 or email comments to FS-comments-northern-clearwater.

Once public involvement is complete, this proposal and public comments will be presented to the Coeur d’Alene Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) prior to a final decision and implementation.

Prescribed fire aims to reduce fire risk, improve elk habitat

Weather conditions permitting, fire managers plan to begin prescribed fire operations next week in the Barnard Junction and Moose Kelly project areas of the North Fork Ranger District. 

The planned area has remained relatively untouched by fire for almost a century. Applying fire in a controlled manner will reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfires and provide better forage for declining elk herds and other wildlife species.

The prescribed burn has been scheduled to take advantage of the narrow window of opportunity for prescribed fire treatment available, as the area receives 30 to 60 inches of rain annually, and is compared to an inland rainforest.

The fire will be allowed to move and spread within the units until precipitation from a season-ending weather event occurs. Units targeted for treatment range from 150 acres to 2,050 acres.

Not every acre will burn, but the entire area will benefit from the increased vegetative diversity created by the managed fire. 

After fire managers perform a test burn, a helicopter, utilizing aerial ignition, will drop hundreds of chemical-filled plastic spheres that look like ping-pong balls onto ridges with stands of dead and dying timber in the target area. A chemical reaction causes the spheres to ignite on the ground and smolder until they light vegetation.

By varying the proportions of the chemical mix and the number of spheres dropped, fire managers can control the speed of ignition and the intensity of the prescribed fire. The fire will then be allowed to back downslope into wet drainages, reducing fire intensity. 

The targeted prescribed fire area burned during the historic 1910 and 1919 fires. Decades of fire suppression has left the area heavily forested with lodgepole pine and many of the trees in the area are dying from infestations of mountain pine beetle. Reducing the amount of available fuels aids in the reduction of potentially large, high intensity wildfires.

Thick tree canopies have prevented growth of forage required by big-game animals. The result has been an adverse effect of elk habitat in the area and elk populations dropping drastically over the past quarter century. Many plants respond favorably to fire and new growth will provide forage for wildlife.

Residents of Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley are likely to see smoke from the burn. Prescribed fire produces smoke, but the smoke is typically short-lived and managed to minimize impacts to communities.

Prescribed fire and other fuels treatments help to reduce the severity of wildfires and minimize adverse smoke impacts on public health and safety.

Over the next several weeks, the forest is planning several other prescribed fire projects in the North Fork and Lochsa/Powell Ranger Districts to reduce fuels and restore characteristics of a fire-adapted ecosystem. Prescribed fire treatments have not been implemented in these wetter areas since 2011.

Planned treatment areas are located within remote, roadless areas or areas with very limited road access. Staggering the prescribed fire treatments through the late fall reduces smoke impacts to local communities.

Fourth graders tell their fire stories, learn about renewable forests

Fourth grade students ran with a parachute and squirted an engine hose as they enjoyed a day in the Forest May 31, experiencing how forest lands recover after wildland fire.

Forest visits were organized by Courtney Couch, Forest Service Fire Education and Prevention Specialist. Each day-long field trip took place at Spring Bar, O’Hara Creek and Musselshell Creek, three fire affected areas on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

Students were divided into groups and heard seven different presentations on wildland fire. Presentations included wildland engine operations, helicopter operations, what it means to be a smokejumper, the science behind prescribed burning, the ecological benefits of fire, and making a ‘firewise’ home.

Students also took an emotional healing walk while observing forest regeneration in a burned area. 

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests were one of 186 federal recipients selected to receive an Every Kid in the Park (EKIP) grant. These grants provided funding for transportation to get children outside, exploring their public lands.

The grant covered the cost of busing fourth grade students from Nezperce, Grangeville, Kooskia, Kamiah, Weippe, Pierce, Riggins and Orofino, to sites on the Nez Perce–Clearwater National Forests.

In addition, the Forest Service visited classrooms before and after the field trip to give students an opportunity to discuss their experiences surrounding the 2015 fire season.

This effort was led Matti Sand, a U.S. Forest Service Fire Lookout. Matti provided a safe and understanding atmosphere where students could talk about how the fires affected their lives and families.

Following the field trips, students used poetry to express what they learned and their wildfire experiences last summer. See the end of this article to read student poems.

For the poetry writing, children were encouraged to be creative and were not bound by rules of spelling or punctuation. At the suggestion of the Friends of the Kooskia Community Library and through support of other local libraries, these student poems will be on exhibit this summer. The Forest Service will be providing a bound copy of poems, organized by school groups, to community libraries. 

The grant, Healing the Land, Healing Ourselves: Exploring the Ecological and Psychological Influences of Fire in Our Communities around the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests received writing assistance and fiscal sponsorship from the Clearwater Resource Conservation and Development council. 

Information on emotional healing was provided by the Willow Center. The Idaho Department of Lands provided presentations on ‘firewise’ homes. The Clearwater Potlatch Fire Protective Association assisted with wildland engine operations for the Orofino and Timberline field trip. 

The Nez Perce Tribe provided presentations on forest regeneration during an emotional healing walk. 

This project was made possible by a grant from the National Park Foundation through the generous support of Disney and individual donors from across the country.

The U.S. Forest Service is one of seven federal land management agencies that comprise Every Kid in a Park, a Presidential initiative to give every fourth grader the chance to explore America’s great outdoors and our unique history.

The President called upon seven agencies, including the Forest Service, to “help get all children to visit and enjoy the outdoors and inspire a new generation of Americans to experience their country’s unrivaled public lands and waters.”

In addition to the Forest Service, the other agencies that are part of Every Kid in a Park are the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

For more information, contact Courtney Couch at the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests: (208) 926-4274.

Timberline Elementary

The Great Fires of 2015 by Levi

Fire

Powerful, warm

Burning, growing, dying

Burning up trees; putting out fires

Moving, flowing, evaporating

Cold, deep

Water

When the Fires Came by Hailey

In the forest a tree

Here’s a fire crackling and

Screaming with rage,

The tree tries to run

But he can’t by now

He hates his roots…

Soon the fire emerges

In front of him

With the wood peckers

Yelling burn burn 

The fire, started to burn him 

Soon the fire past

He was alive

The tree was so glad 

He burst with tears of joy.

Fire the Destroyer

Warm soon turns to its wild side

The red flames set to burn all

In its path soon could with evil spirit

It’s out after a week and a half the elements still hold embers 

It start again

Fire and Ice – by Jayme

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire some say in ice 

from what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire

But if it had to perish twice

I think I know enough of hate to say

that for destruction ice is also great

Poems of FIRE by Exzavier

Fire

Fire is dangerous

It fills water of ash

Rashes from the heat

Embers and sparks burn

Run Trees by Destiny

I am red

I have flames

I burn things

There is smoke where I go?

What am I?

Fire

The animals die because of me

The trees burn because of me

What am I?

Fire

The trees burn from this thing

What is it?

I help recycle the Earth

My ash goes to the soil

What am I?

Fire Poetry by Sam

Fire burning when it’s hot, 

Flames flying with the wind,

Fire getting higher and higher,

Burning the canyon,

Scorching the woods,

And blazing the houses and fields.

That is my poem

The first flame, the first spark

Going higher and higher

The first black dust

Trying to catch the wind.

That is my poem.

Fire…glowing red and orange in the night,

Wanting to burn,

Wanting to glow so bright. 

Birthday Fire by Ethan

Sitting at the campfire watching flames go up

And up at my brother’s birthday

Stacking more wood and more

On the fire telling scary stories.

While absorbing more heat from the fire. 

The Poem of Fire by Kyd

1910

Fire…makes me remember the fire of 1910.

A lot of families died right then.

They could see the pyro catching up to them.

There in the woods was a sea of flames.

And that was the fire of 1910.

Orofino Elementary

Summer Flames by Stevie

Idaho Fires 2015

Summer flames above the mountains

Below the clouds

May it stop?

Should we sob?

What should we do?

Can we stop the trees from new

Hideous hairdos?

Most importantly

Can we prevent wildfires?

Help Smokey Out Kids

Don’t play with matches!

Fire Poem by Seger

Fire crackle sizzle

Frightening burning

Birds fly low

The smokes gets lower

When the smoke fly’s out

The animals pop out

The trees regrow

The bugs come out

Thank you to ALL the 

Firefighters for putting out the fire. 

Fire! Smoke! By Kelly

I don’t really like it

It is horrible

It smells horrible

It is fire!!

The smoke was thick

My dad was working

I was scared!!!

I went outside 

It smelled like smoke

Mixed with pine tree

It stunk bad.

Everyday my dad was out

Telling people to leave their home

I felt sad and scared.

It was one of the worst weeks

Of my life

But when it was over

It was one of the best days

Of my life.

2015 Fires by Mylie

The fire is burning so hot 

The heat is absorbing into my body.

The yellow and blue flames

The red coals glowing

And the smell of burning wood. 

Fire Tips by Cheyanne

1. Make sure your address is posted clearly so people can see it.

2. When there is a fire get wood and dry stuff away from your house.

3. Make sure tree branches are not on your house because when the fire comes it won’t burn the top of your house.

4. Clean your chimney because if you have straw or dry stuff in your chimney it could burn the straw and it could fall in your house and burn the whole inside of your house. 

Thank you J

Wild Fire!!! By Briley

We were sitting

Not aware of anything

Papa comes in telling us

To come out!!!

I stood on a stump 

looking at the site of the fire

Eating the house.

Across the canyon.

My gramma called 911

And the friends

Asking if they were OK.

They were just fine.

WILD FIRE by Bodey

Fire you make me quake and shake

Your heat makes my heart beat fast

And can’t control it. 

You fire sound like gunfire

You make firefighters fight.

Fire by Patrick

Fire is bad for lungs

Bad for wood in forests

Good for smores

Roasting hot dogs

Fire Poetry by Loudan

Fire fire everywhere.

Helicopters in the air.

We need water everywhere

To put that fire out so fast

We need water really fast.

Ashes in the air.

Flames in the trees.

Smoke everywhere

Propane tank on fire.

Yelling in the house.

A hose turning on.

My experience to Fire’s in 2015 by Dayna

Big fires smoke in the air 

Tears coming from my eyes 

Hot in the air

Sun hiding

Me sweating

Me sad

Watching houses burn down

Sad faces come all over

Birds flying low

Places on fire

Fire fighters working long days

Some water getting poured.

Sad people

Houses on fire

Scary sounds

Me crying

Sorry faces.

Outside fire fighters

Working hard

And risking lives.

The Fire of 2015 by Linda

Smoke flying in the morning

Can’t breath from smoke in the air.

Smoke going here 

Smoke going there

Smoke going everywhere

Fire is on the green burning

From all the lightning

Heading to the next place to attack. 

Quick! We need a evacuation 

Fire is going in my calculations.

Fires all done in all places

Time to get back to 

Summer vacation

Fire by Donya

Mom, Dad, the dogs and I drove through Lenore 

and got to somewhere safe

Then the fire was over 

We were safe

Back home with the dogs.

We’re glad to be home and so we’re the dogs

The end!

Fire of 2015 by Lexie

Fire, fire 

your cool to admire

but not when you spread

more and more 

fire.

Report on U.S. Forest Service preparations for 2016 wildfire season and unfavorable wildfire trends

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell on May 17 met with Regional Foresters representing areas expected to be at greatest risk during the 2016 wildfire season to discuss their preparations to fight fires across the United States.

Last year, seven members of the Forest Service firefighting team were lost in the line of duty, and 4,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. The job of fighting wildfires has become increasingly difficult due to the effects of climate change, chronic droughts, and a constrained budget environment in Washington.

At least 58 million acres of National Forest System lands are in or near the Wildland Urban Interface and work now can reduce risk to life, homes, businesses and infrastructure. On the call, Chief Tidwell will underscore the Forest Service’s commitment to ensuring the protection of firefighters’ lives.

Climate change has led to fire seasons that are, on average, 78 days longer than they were in 1970, and the average number of acres burned each year has doubled since 1980.

As a result, the Forest Service's firefighting budget is regularly exhausted before the end of the wildfire season, forcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to abandon critical restoration and capital improvement projects in order to suppress extreme fires.

Over half of the Forest Service’s 2015 budget was used to fight wildfires, compared to just 16 percent in 1995.

Historic fire season ends with a look forward

Submitted by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

For those of us who experienced the 2015 fire season in north central Idaho, we will remember it for its extremes—explosive fire behavior and devastating effects on communities and resources on one hand, and a positive rallying point for community disaster and recovery support as well as some positive impacts on the land, on the other hand.

On the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the fires produced the same battle of extremes—Ranger Stations, recreational infrastructure, critical habitats and timber stands were threatened by fire, most were saved, some were lost. 

The season is replete with stories of heroism, hard work, and people coming together for a common goal. We could provide facts and figures on how this affected your Forest lands, but that would not tell the whole story. 

Planning for the 2015 fire season began long before the lightning hit in early August. Fuel moistures were low and temperatures were high through the spring and early summer. The central Idaho fire leadership group braced for an epic season and ordered additional firefighting resources. 

When lightning ignited over 250 fires between Aug. 9-11 and immediately threatened communities outside of lands managed by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the additional Forest Service firefighters were already on the way.

As fire threatened Kamiah, Orofino, Peck, Nezperce and other communities, we diverted our Forest initial attack personnel, aircraft, and incoming firefighting resources for use by Idaho Department of Lands to protect the public and the values most at risk, at that time. 

The Forest’s remaining initial attack resources extinguished many of the fires on the Forest but those that were unstaffed grew big. When communities near Forest lands were threatened, firefighting resources, regardless of agency affiliation, were shared to continue to keep the public safe. 

This season was a true interagency effort with two countries, 26 states, nine counties, nine cities, several rural fire districts, four tribes, and seven federal agencies represented in the effort. 

The 2015 fire season was intense and relatively short-lived but we will feel the impacts personally, professionally, socially, economically, and environmentally for years to come. When the smoke in the valleys cleared, over 280,000 acres of private, state, tribal, and federal land was impacted. On the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, our latest mapping shows 195,683 acres burned with about two-thirds of that in the roaded front country. 

Assessing impacts and restoration began while the fires were still burning. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Teams inventoried and prioritized imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands. 

Recently we received $1.09 million to begin to address those threats. In addition to working on National Forest lands, many current and retired Forest Service employees are assessing private lands to assist landowners. “The Forest will continue to be a player in the restoration efforts off National Forest System lands because it is the right thing to do for the communities and the resources in the basin,” said Cheryl Probert, Forest Supervisor.

In order to address all the post-fire work needed, we have redirected our planned work on the Forest. Many people only think of salvage of burned timber when they talk about post-fire work. On the Nez Perce-Clearwater, salvage of burned timber is only one of many types of actions we are taking to deal with the fires of 2015. 

We retained as many of our seasonal employees as we could this fall to have them work on assessing post-fire needs. We have categorized our current activities into several types:

Fire suppression rehabilitation—Most of this work such as fireline rehab was done before the incident management teams left the area. Firelines in the more heavily timbered areas will not be completely finished until the majority of the cut trees are removed. 

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)—Inventory and planning have been completed and implementation has begun on the most critical needs. Some of these actions include emergency culvert replacement, adding drainage dips to roads, and felling those hazard trees posing the most imminent threat to safety.

Restoration on private lands—Work accomplished to date includes inventory of restoration needs, planning projects, applying for grants, providing information, and supporting community forums. A group of retired Forest Service employees assessed burn severity and emergency restoration needs on private lands throughout the Basin. Current Nez Perce-Clearwater employees are members of the Soil Conservation Districts’ Multi-Agency Cooperative Restoration Organization (MACRO) at the leadership and technical levels.

Maintenance of roads, recreation sites, and administrative sites—Field personnel have been out assessing additional maintenance needs, including hazard tree removal, and an interdisciplinary team is analyzing the impacts of those actions. 

Salvage harvest for fuels reduction and insect and disease prevention—Field personnel have been assessing potential areas where salvage harvest is needed, practical and possible within the analysis timeframes. Three interdisciplinary teams of resource managers are developing proposed actions and analyzing impacts. This effort began with a coarse filter approach that identified areas we would not salvage such as wilderness and unroaded lands. 

Next, our foresters went out with other resource specialists and assessed the feasibility and economic value of those remaining areas. They also considered dropping areas with resource issues that could take a long time to analyze. This initial evaluation removed about 90 percent of the burned areas from consideration for salvage harvest. 

The interdisciplinary teams are prioritizing and refining the proposals in the Tepee Springs/Deadwood fire area, Wash fire, Woodrat and Motorway complex areas. In the salvage harvest areas, downed woody debris will be left for soil quality and wildlife habitat, and areas will be replanted with desired species to re-create more historic conditions. 

Recreation site and other infrastructure repair and restoration—This will be accomplished as funds become available.

Large-scale Restoration—Field personnel have been inventorying reforestation needs, aquatic/stream conditions, and invasive species, and developing monitoring plans to determine fire effects. Restoration needs will be incorporated into the Forest’s program of work.

“Just as the communities and the agencies came together while the fires were burning, we will continue to work together in the post-fire landscape. We are committed to helping in the recovery of all lands in the basin as well as increasing the pace and scale of fuels reduction and forest vegetation restoration on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests for the future,” said Probert. 

Pro-active management will result in long-term ecological sustainability in many ways—by reducing the fuels and potential for high intensity reburn; providing opportunities to reforest more acres with species that are more resistant and resilient to disease, fire and drought; by improving wildlife habitat for species such as elk that are reliant on more open pockets of vegetation; and by improving the quality of life for some through jobs and income.

“The Forest Service is directed to contribute to the long-term economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the communities in our area and we look forward to many years of working with our stakeholders to meet that commitment,” added Probert.

Christmas tree permits available at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

In this area, it is a popular tradition to begin the holiday season with an outing to the forest to cut the family Christmas tree. Permits are required for each tree you are going to cut. Permits are $5 each and are limited to three per family.

The permits can be purchased from any of our Forest offices or at the following local vendors: Harpster Store in Harpster, Tom Cat’s Sporting Goods in Kooskia, Rae Brothers Sporting Goods and Tackett’s Saw Service in Grangeville, Cloninger’s Harvest Foods in Kamiah, Helmer Store & Cafe in Helmer, Idaho Rigging in Potlatch, Tri-State Outfitters and Woodland Enterprises in Moscow, and DYNW (Discover Your Northwest) at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center, and Lochsa Lodge at Powell.

“Cutting a Christmas Tree on Your Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests” brochure is available at all forest offices and on the forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/nezperceclearwater/passes-permits/forestproducts.

As a general rule, no special areas are designated for Christmas tree cutting. Here are some tips when choosing and cutting your Christmas tree:

Cut your tree at least 200 feet away from well-traveled roads, flowing water, campgrounds and recreation sites.

It is permissible to cut trees from the cut banks and fill slopes of lesser-traveled roads.

Select your trees from thickets or overstocked areas. Avoid removing trees from plantations or other areas where tree growth is sparse.

Select a tree that is the right height for your needs. Please don’t cut a large tree just to take the top.

Pile all discarded branches away from roads, ditches and culverts.

Cut your tree as close to the ground as possible. Stumps should be eight inches or less.

Attach a permit to each cut tree prior to transporting it in your vehicle.

For more information, call or visit your local Forest Service office.

Potlatch, DABCO, Clearwater Paper sued over Steep Corner Fire

The State of Idaho is suing an Idaho timber company and its contractor for their alleged involvement in the Steep Corner Fire two years ago; a fire that resulted in the death of 20-year-old firefighter Anne Veseth of Moscow, and burned more 310 acres north of Orofino.

The 56-acre fire began Aug. 10, 2012, 56 miles from Orofino, on a private logging site, and burned both public and private land.

The 11-page lawsuit alleges five counts of negligence and nuisance, and names Potlatch Land and Lumber, Potlatch Forest Holdings, Clearwater Paper Corp., Potlatch Corp., and DABCO Inc., a logging contractor based in Kamiah, as defendants.

The suit doesn’t specify a monetary amount, but does allege that the state spent more than $10,000 fighting the Steep Corner Fire.

According to the lawsuit, the fire began after an incident in which a DABCO logging crew used a cable yarding system that employed a mechanized carriage. The carriage had an internal combustion engine, and according to the suit, the carriage’s spark arrester did not meet Forest Service standards, which are required by law.

When a choker (used to carry logs beneath the carriage) broke while it was under high tension, the carriage swung violently and then flipped, spilling hot metal and carbon from the muffler into dry slash. Sparks from this allegedly caused the fire, according to an Idaho Department of Lands investigation.

The logging crew, despite its attempts to building a fire line and dump water on the fire, was unable to suppress the fire.

The Idaho Department of Lands, as part of an agreement with C-PTPA and the Forest Service, sent fire crews to control and suppress the blaze, thus incurring firefighting-related expenses, according the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants used equipment that was illegal and not properly maintained, and that they failed to take precautions necessary to prevent a fire hazard.

It is unclear at this time why Clearwater Paper was named in the lawsuit.

County to receive 1.1 million from SRS

By Elizabeth Morgan

Any day now Clearwater County will receive $1.1 million from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS), (originally the Craig-Wyden Bill) of the $28 million distributed to Idaho. The funds of SRS are generated by the U.S. Forest Service, are intended to help communities such as ours in several ways; one is to improve the environment within our forested Federal Lands and assist counties in maintaining the forests and develop wildfire protection plans. Another goal is to help provide jobs to those who live in areas where no taxes are generated due to being Federal Lands. Local resource advisory committees (RAC) are formed to recommend how the money is spent and to oversee the projects needed within their region.

For Clearwater County, much of the money will be spent to help maintain county roads, a major priority and ongoing expense to the county, which property taxes just can’t realistically accommodate. One of the reasons the county’s tax base is so low is that fifty-three percent of Clearwater County land is owned by the federal government, 14 percent by the state, and another one percent is owned by the Nez Perce Tribe. In other words, a little more than two-thirds of the county’s land, depends on the other third to generate the taxes needed to supply the entire county.

In addition to the county’s $1.1 million awarded by the government, North Central Idaho received it’s share ($785,000) of an additional $30 million distributed nationally to complete projects to benefit the country’s forests.

County Commissioner Don Ebert is a member of the RAC to oversee our area, and recently attended a meeting in Grangeville to discuss how the money is designated to projects on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Most notably in the discussion was $195,000 to be put towards Weitas Bridge, an 80 year old bridge that spans the North Fork of the Clearwater River at Weitas Creek, which was closed to pedestrians and vehicles three years ago. the bridge provided access to the popular campground and a trailhead at the mouth of Weitas Creek. The exact cost to repair the bridge is still undetermined, as it awaits several assessments to dictate what needs to be done, but work is expected to resume this year and well into 2015.

Some of the their projects which were awarded funds included: $60,000 for the Clearwater Basin Collaborative; $62,000 for stand exams on the forest; $70,000 for treating weeds; $43,000 for plantings and stream channel restoration associated with the Little Slate Project on the Salmon River Ranger District; $34,500 for sign installation on the North Fork and Palouse ranger districts; $88,000 for the Selway Bitterroot-Frank Church Foundation, a group that helps the agency maintain trails; $54,000 for motorized trail work on the Salmon River Ranger District; $27,000 for trail work in the Hells Canyon Wilderness; $20,000 for recreation site maintenance work on the North Fork and Palouse ranger districts; $40,000 for trail work in various other locations of the forest; and $91,500 for various other projects.

Questions for additional funding next year add uncertainty to the entire situation, statewide as the government has authorized SRS funds on a yearly basis. The SRS Act was passed by Congress in 2000 to aid states with large tracts heavily timbered and Federal Lands throughout 2006. Congress extended the Act the following year, then in 2008, reauthorized the funds for four more years. Since then, it has existed on a year by year reauthorization.

“We’re glad to have it,” said Commissioner Don Ebert, “We feel like it’s an obligation of the government to provide us with the additional money. We use it prudently, and continue to plod forward.”

Clearwater, Idaho counties file suit over travel plan

Clearwater and Idaho counties have filed suit against the United State Forest Service concerning the travel plan. The counties have filed jointly, because “most of our issues with the USFS are identical,” according to a press release issued by the counties.

Both counties are members of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC); however, the CBC itself has chosen not to become involved in the travel plan issue, “because we felt that consensus would be too elusive,” according to the press release.

In the suit filed against the Forest Service, the counties allege the Forest Service:

Did not consider the local land use plan of Clearwater County as required by federal coordination mandates;

Closed trails to single track (motorcycles) because of conflicts with little or no evidence that conflicts exist;

Failed to consider the economic impact to the citizens of the two counties;

Relied on data which was speculative insufficient or non-existent;

Constituted a management plan whereby de-facto wilderness areas are created without the required Congressional designation;

Failed to consider the impact by snowmobiles or even how much use there actually is.

The counties “attempted to resolve our claims administratively, by appealing the travel plan and those appeals were denied,” said the press release. “We believe the travel plan decision lacked sufficient data, and was therefore arbitrary and capricious. The travel plan does harm to our Counties and our residents and we believe the plan was not done in accordance with federal law. We felt this is a place to take a stand and we would be remiss if we had not.”

Forest Service negotiating with OSHA over Steep Corner Fire citations and fines

U.S. Forest Service officials are negotiating with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over citations and fines levied against the agency following the death of a firefighter last August on the Steep Corner Fire near Headquarters. Anne Veseth, 20, Moscow, was killed when she was struck by a falling tree.

According to an OSHA spokeswoman Forest Service officials have disagreed with the conclusions that violations occurred during the fire. OSHA fined the Forest Service and Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, which was managing the fire, $14,000 each for alleged violations. A settlement was reached between OSHA and C-PTPA last month, with the citation being revised and the fine reduced from $14,000 to $10,500.

The Forest Service released an investigative report of its own following OSHA’s citation. The Forest Service’s report contrasted OSHA’s report. The Forest Service’s report concluded that the judgment and decisions of the firefighters involved in the fire were appropriate and there were no reckless actions or violations of policy or protocol.

Forest Service rep comes to council meeting

By Alannah Allbrett

Forest Service Deputy, Ralph Rau, addressed Orofino City Council’s regular meeting February 12, regarding the upcoming move of forest service offices to Kamiah. The joint Nez Perce Clearwater forests will be managed in one office in Kamiah, central in the district, to save money.

Rau said that not everyone “cherished that idea” but it boiled down to economics. Rau said that a lot of projects (such as fire management) have been zoned across the two forests for a number of years. It just made more sense, with budget reductions, to combine and operate as one forest. Rau stated that with the nation going through wars and other tough times, the forest service has a role to play in “balancing things” as much as any other federal agency. Rau stated that other forests in the U.S. have had to be consolidated as well. “The reality” he said, “is we did not have the resources to staff two forests. But by pooling our resources we are better able to fulfill our mission.”

Rau was asked if the forest service is planning a building program in Kamiah, to which he answered, “No.” The agency owns houses there and has already converted one of them into an office and is in the process of doing that to another house. Likewise, they have the option of converting a warehouse there for additional space. Altogether, they will be moving approximately 160 positions. The offices in Grangeville have another 10 years remaining on the lease. Rau said it cost nearly as much to try to get out of the lease as if they stayed in the facility. The Orofino offices have about a year and a half remaining on the lease.

Speaking of the road crews and fire suppression, Rau said that they will still be in Orofino because they are centrally located here and contracts are already set up. “Once the lease is up [in Orofino] we are going to have to get an office here. It does not logistically make sense to put that office somewhere else” said Rau. “We are the last forest in the region that has road crews. Others contract work out.”

Rau said, in the future, forest service staff will be happy to come to Orofino to make presentations and to answer questions if needed. Supervisor Brazell was unable to attend the last council meeting due to obligations with OSHA and sent his apologies.

Forest Service finalizes consolidation of Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests

Leslie Weldon, U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, announced today the decision to administratively combine the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests in Idaho. The decision finalizes a five-year process of working toward consolidating leadership and programs between the two National Forests. Due to its central location, the official headquarters will be in Kamiah. There is currently enough space in Forest Service buildings in Kamiah to accommodate this decision.

“I am very appreciative of the concerns, questions and comments from everyone who has been involved,” said Weldon. “All of the input has helped to inform the final decision.”

In 2008, the two forests began to take steps toward the combination with the intent of generating savings of $2 million per year. That goal has been met to ensure funds can be used to maintain on-the-ground-management and service to the public.

 “With the budget challenges we face, there are some administrative combinations that make sense,” said Weldon. “Over the past five years, the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forest have demonstrated that this is a move that allows more taxpayer money to be put toward improving and maintaining Idaho’s natural resources.”

Weldon said one of the clear messages she heard throughout the combination effort was that the local communities want the Forest Service to maintain offices in their current locations. Her direction is for the combined forests to continue to have a substantial presence in Grangeville and Orofino, the towns that formerly hosted the headquarters offices for the Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forest.

Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell says he will continue to work out of the Grangeville and Orofino offices as needed.

“As a result of this decision, I’m most pleased that forest visitors and the communities we serve will not see any reduction in services to the public,” said Brazell. “This process has always been about decreasing administrative costs to deliver needed work to the ground.”

The reduction in the work force and employee salaries has largely been accomplished through attrition as employees have retired, moved on to other jobs, and the workloads have been streamlined. No employees will be required to move as a result of this decision.

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are located in the heart of north-central Idaho. Its four million acres of National Forest System land stretch from the Oregon border on the west to the Montana border on the east, and borders the Idaho Panhandle National Forests to the north and the Payette National Forest to the south.

Forest plan revision community check-in meetings begin Feb. 19 in Orofino

Rick Brazell, Forest Supervisor for the Nez Perce – Clearwater National Forests, would like to invite the public to participate in upcoming Community Check-in Meetings for the Forest Plan Revision Collaborative process to be held Feb. 19 through March 4. This is the first of a series of community meetings. 

These two-hour sessions will be co-hosted by the Forest Service with Idaho, Clearwater and Latah Counties and facilitated by the University of Idaho. The Community Check-In Meetings are designed to provide updates to community members who are interested in the revision process but are not able to attend monthly collaborative meetings. The Check-In Meetings will include overviews of the revision process, revision timeline, and collaborative input gathered from the November through February working sessions. Members of the Revision Collaborative will be present to discuss their views of the process. The public will be invited to participate in the process and they will be provided information regarding alternative avenues of participation.

The meeting schedule is as follows, and all meetings will be held from 6-8 pm.:

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 6-8 pm: Orofino Idaho; Forest Supervisors Office

Thursday, Feb. 21, 6-8 pm: Lolo, Montana; Lolo Community Center

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6-8 pm: Lewiston, Idaho; Idaho Fish and Game Office

Thursday, Feb. 28, 6-8 pm: Grangeville, Idaho; Senior Citizens Center

Monday, March 4, 6-8 pm: Moscow, Idaho; 1912 Facility

In the Spring, 2012 the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests were selected as one of eight early-adopter forests to revise Forest plans under the new 2012 Planning Rule. Input is currently being sought on the Forest Plan Revision Draft Assessment and on Draft Forest Plan Components. This collaborative effort provides important supporting information to the Forest Supervisor for the plan revision.

If you would like to learn more about the Revision Collaborative and how to participate, please go to the Forest Plan Revision website for more information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nezperce/landmanagement/planning or contact Carol Hennessey, Collaboration Coordinator at cahennessey@fs.fed.us or Cell: 208-451-6273.

Forest Service Plan Revision in the works

By Alannah Allbrett

Forest Supervisor, Rick Brazell was on hand in Orofino Sept. 11, to participate in a Forest Service Plan Revision meeting, facilitated by the University of Idaho.

The Nez Perce/ Clearwater National Forests were selected as one of eight “early adopters” of US National Forests, to be among the first to work on preparing a revised forest plan governing management and uses of the forests. The process will take a minimum of two years to complete and will be done with the participation of Idaho, Clearwater, and Latah Counties co-hosting meeting sessions.

In the two hour meeting at the Best Western Lodge at Rivers Edge, the emphasis was on forming a collaborative work group to hammer out suggestions in a series of team meetings which ultimately will be decided upon by Brazell and subsequently submitted to the Missoula, MT office.

Brazell said historically, the forest service formulated its own plans, and that has not been a successful model. Ideally, people with diverse points of view (on how the forest should be managed) will give input in the planning stages, rather than initiating law suits after- the-fact.

Brazell said that there are at least 21 designated groups, ranging from environmentalists who want roadless areas, to people who believe the forests should be worked. He said they are looking for committed people who will stay with the process until it is complete.

“It’s a matter of getting everybody together to figure out how to manage all the acres out there. I can’t give away the authority,” Brazell said, “but agreement makes the job easier.”

The U of I reps pointed out “cultural assumptions” people carry with them ranging from Utilitarian Views – working the land; Naturalistic Views – leaving some natural places alone; Stewardship Views – using and conserving land for the future; to Nez Perce Tribal Views – having a long-term relationship between natural and community health.

Planners will have to take those views into account, along with describing roles and contribution of the forests, identifying priority watersheds, identifying lands for recreation, identifying timber removal needs, and identifying the eligibility of rivers as wild scenic rivers.

Community orientation meetings such as the ones already held in Orofino and Grangeville, will next take place in Moscow (Sept. 25) at 1912 Center; Lolo, MT (Sept 27) at the Lolo Community Center, and in Lewiston (Oct 4) at the Red Lion Hotel.

Following the orientation meetings, a two and one-half day Forest Plan Summit will be held for participants October 26, 27, and 28, to initiate the collaborative process. The location has not yet been finalized, but will be held in either Orofino or Kamiah. Meeting specifics will be published once known.

The summit is open to both observers, who could not attend the orientation meetings, and to highly committed individuals who are willing to be a part of the revision process for the entire two year period.

Supervisor Brazell has been at this for 34 years and is looking forward to the day when he can retire and spend more time with his grandchildren. He said his passion is for the land, and wants to see this through and be “the first forest in the nation to get this done and get everybody’s interests met the best we can.”

Resource Damage at Fish Creek and Milner Areas

Unknown individuals in a full size vehicle bypassed the posted sign and mudbogged in this creek behind site #8 at Fish Creek Campground. They created a diversion in the main stream course and broke down the stream banks.

This mudbogging site was found off the Milner Trail, where extensive damage occurred in a meadow. 

Grangeville - Forest Service law enforcement officers are asking for any information pertaining to the mudbogging damage in the areas behind Fish Creek Campground and the Milner Trail. 

Two weekends ago, unknown individuals in a full size vehicle bypassed the posted sign and mudbogged in the creek behind site #8 at Fish Creek Campground. They created a diversion in the main stream course and broke down the stream banks. They created a loop that encompasses the first wooden bridge. 

Another mudbogging site was also found off the Milner Trail where extensive damage occurred in a meadow. Persons with knowledge of any information associated with this recent resource damage, are to contact Jill Forth, Law Enforcement Officer, at 208-983-4054.

Forest reps meet with commissioners

By Alannah Allbrett

The U.S. Forest Service travel plan proposal, to close over 200 miles of trails for motorized vehicles, is being challenged by Clearwater County Commissioners who filed an appeal with the forest service Feb. 22. County Commissioner Stan Leach said an appeal is designed to stop an action, and it’s the first time since he became a commissioner in 2003, that they have had the need to do that. “Typically, we want them to do more than they are doing, not less,” said Leach.

Explaining how the forest service process works, Leach said “When a travel plan is enacted, that’s the direction the forest is going to take for the life of the plan. You can challenge their decision or identify a certain portion of it as flawed. There may be certain things they didn’t envision when the 1987 plan was adopted,” said Leach, and that’s why the county is filing an appeal.

In an attempt to hear the issues and see if some things can be solved easily, Forest Service Supervisor Rick Brazell met last week with Clearwater County’s three commissioners, the county’s Prosecuting Attorney, E. Clayne Tyler, Sheriff Chris Goetz, and Alan Deyo (who has filed a separate appeal as a private citizen). Representatives from Idaho County were included in the meeting via a telephone conference call. Idaho County has filed a joint appeal to protect their interests in the trail system.

Both counties are heavily dependent upon recreational and tourism dollars, which include the use of motorcycles on the many backcountry trails. Leach pointed out that motorcycle riders are chiefly the ones maintaining those trails in useable condition. “If those trails are closed,” said Leach, “all that goes away.” Ironically, if a trail falls into disuse and is no longer maintained, then it eventually gets pulled off of forest service maps – from lack of use. It’s a “Catch 22” situation.

When asked how the county can survive with these kinds of land use restrictions, Leach said, “We’ll always survive, but each tool helps our economy. By doing this, they are taking away one more tool when we are trying to get our economy going. Things like this just restrict us and make it a lot harder to do our jobs. We would love nothing more than to be able to pay our own way.”

Leach characterized the meeting as a respectful one and noted that “Brazell does not have a lot of wiggle room. He has to listen to all 20 appeals (from both sides of the issue) and then send his findings along to Region I headquarters in Missoula, MT. I have a lot of respect for him; there is not a whole lot he is going to be able to do. They will notify us of their decision. We are in a kind of ‘wait and see mode’ right now,” said Leach.

If trails are closed, the only course remaining for Clearwater County is to consider filing a legal suit.