Post on 22-Aug-2020
Transforming Forest Health in Idaho & Montana Tom Schultz, VP Government Affairs
Our Mission
“To enhance the lives and
livelihoods of our employees,
customers, partners and the
communities in which we operate
by providing the earth’s best
renewable building products.”
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A Glimpse at IFG’s Impact in 2018
• 1050 team members with an additional 2,000+ contractors assisting business.
• Wages across the company were $70 million
• Over $2 million paid in taxes within Idaho, Montana, and Washington states
• 143,553 truck loads delivered to IFG facilities. That equates to trucks lined up end to end from Coeur d’Alene to Pittsburgh, PA!
• IFG supports charitable organizations that provide educational and arts and cultural opportunities and youth activities in Idaho and Montana, enhancing the communities where our employees live and raise families.
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Overview
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Overview
We’re going to discuss:
• Health and mortality in Idaho and Montana’s
forests
• Why forest health matters
• How we can restore our forests and how long it
will take to make an impact
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Overview
Today’s Inland Northwest forests are not the same forests that
existed before European settlement.
Their ecology has been altered by:
• Fire suppression
• Historically unsustainable harvest methods, without replanting
• Introduction of White Pine Blister Rust and other invasive species
• Climate change and drought
• These impacts have created more densely populated forests with dominant tree species that are less tolerant of fire and disease and are competing for limited resources.
• This has set the stage for an abundance of weak, malnourished trees that are susceptible to insect, disease, and catastrophic wildfire.
Overview
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-
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
14,000,000
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Volume of TimberHarvested (MBF)
Acres burned
U.S. Volume Harvested vs. U.S. Acres Burned in Wildfires 1980-2017
Fire
• 3 million acres burned in Idaho & Montana
• 85 people died
• Current stand conditions are now similar to the conditions prior to 1910
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1910 Fire:
Overview
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MortalityFireOverstocked/Weakened Stands
Insects and Disease
Insects & Disease
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NIDRM
• 28% of Idaho’s treed acres are at risk – ranked 1st nationally for percentage of acres at risk.
• 21% of Montana’s treed acres are at risk – ranked 3rd nationally for its percentage of acres at risk. Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest
493,809
4,857,385
998,833
206,624
1,081,556
223,811
Idaho
State LandsUSFS-Non WildernessWilderness AreasBLMPrivateOther Ownerships
Treed Acres at Risk of >25% Basal Area Loss 2013-2027
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258,191
4,955,281
974,152
180,406
877,950
409,578
MontanaTotal: 7,862,018 Total: 7,655,558
Insects & Disease
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“The warming climate has
allowed beetles to hang on,
reproduce faster—multiple
broods in a year—and access
trees at higher elevations that
used to be resistant because of
the cold,’ says Carl Seielstad, a
fire expert at the University of
Montana in Missoula.”
Washington Post, January 29, 2019
Beetle Gallery Root Rot
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/gone-in-a-generation/forest-climate-change.html?utm_term=.3f4e862dafc6#forest. Published January 29, 2019.
Fire
Fire
According to the US Forest
Service, almost 70% of federal forests
need some sort of fuels restoration
treatment, which may include:
• Harvest
• Thinning
• Prescribed fire
• Replanting
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Clearwater Complex, near Kamiah, 2015
Fire
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MO
NT
AN
AID
AH
O
0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1400000 1600000 1800000 2000000
Beaverhead-Deerlodge
Bitterroot
Kootenai
Lolo
Flathead
Idaho Panhandle
Boise
Nez Perce-Clearwater
Payette
Burned Acres on National Forests 1980-2018
Total Non-Wilderness, Non-Roadless Acres Total Burned Non-Wilderness, Non-Roadless Acres 1980-2018
Forest Health
Forest Health
One decade ago, mortality in the Intermountain Forest started to exceed growth.
What defines mortality?
Trees that DIED from natural causes:
• Fire
• Drought
• Insects and Disease
• Age
Tree mortality is measured as trees that died from natural causes within 5 years of the measurement date.
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Forest Health
19
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,00019
52
196
2
197
6
198
6
199
1
199
6
20
06
20
11
20
16
Intermountain Region All Ownerships Softwoods, Growth, Removal, and Mortality (MCuFt)
Net Growth Removal Mortality
Created from FIA data
Intermountain Region refers to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Forest Health
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-500,000
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,00019
52
196
2
197
6
198
6
199
1
199
6
20
06
20
11
20
16
Intermountain Region National Forests Softwoods, Growth, Removal and Mortality (Mcuft)
Net Growth Removal Mortality
Intermountain Region refers to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
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Forest Health: Federal Forests
Over the next 15 years, National Forests are at greatest risk of loss:
50% of treed acres are at risk and growth rates are declining.
Some forests are in critical situations:
• The Beaverhead-Deerlodge is set up for a catastrophic wildfire:• Mortality is far exceeding growth • Fires have only touched 3.6% of the non-wilderness, non roadless acres• Harvest has been around 26 MMBF
• The Payette keeps burning:• Only about 13% of the forest is non-wilderness, non-roadless acres• About an eighth of the acres have already burned• Mortality has surpassed growth
• The Panhandle is succumbing to disease:• There is a 50% risk of 25% basal area loss from insect and disease • Only 2.3% of the non-wilderness, non-roadless base has burned since 1980
Percent Change in Forest Growth, Removal, and Mortality 1991-2016
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Year Net growth Removals Mortality
1991 728,705 333,015 189,614
1996 793,597 247,041 274,016
2006 597,709 245,735 374,967
2011 417,388 257,803 612,835
2016 441,238 230,262 616,491
Percent Change
-39% -31% 225%
Year Net growth Removals Mortality
1991 607,168 258,529 182,289
1996 560,727 170,735 272,818
2006 469,731 197,889 386,900
2011 254,712 90,411 558,466
2016 54,778 102,171 662,369
Percent Change
-91% -60% 263%
Idaho Montana
Forest Health
Mortality is reducing the growth of the existing timber resource in Idaho and Montana over the last ten years.
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Idaho Montana
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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/gone-in-a-generation/forest-climate-change.html?utm_term=.3f4e862dafc6#forest. Published January 29, 2019.
“Montana is one of six states in the West where trees have
been emitting carbon in the past decade or so, according to
an analysis by David Cleaves, former climate change
adviser to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service.”
“The other states are Arizona, Colorado, Nevada,
Utah and Wyoming. Four of these states’ forests have
flipped in recent years to become carbon emitters—
with Montana showing the biggest changes of all.”
“Between 2000 and 2015, 14 million acres were damaged
by beetles and other pests or diseases, more than half of
the state’s total forested area.”
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0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
3.50%
4.00%
4.50%
5.00%
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
20
16
20
17
Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by Ownership
USFS BLM State Private
-1.00%
-0.50%
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
3.50%
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
20
16
20
17
Montana Net Growth as % of BF Volume by Ownership
USFS BLM State Private
Created from FIA data
The negative percentages mean that mortality is exceeding growth.
Forest Health
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-3%
-2%
-1%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
Montana, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest
Private Lands
Beaverhead
Bitterroot
Flathead
Kootenai
Lolo
Forest Health
-3%
-2%
-1%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest
Private Lands
Panhandle
Clearwater
Nez Perce
Boise
Payette
Forest Health
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Forest Health Summary
Why do we care about Mortality?
• Reduced timber supply
• Depleted carbon sequestration capacity
• Increased risk of catastrophic fire, smoke, and carbon emissions
• Degraded water quality, reduced water supply, and increased erosion
Transformation
Collaboration
Diverse stakeholder groups (tribes, industry, conservation, recreation, local government) using science to build consensus and take on forest projects that support economic, restoration, and conservation goals on priority landscapes.
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Idaho has 10 forest collaboratives that participate in the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership
Montana has 14 forest collaboratives, that participate in the Montana Forest Collaboration Network.
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Collaboration: Case Study
Clearwater Basin Collaborative
• Supported the development of science to guide forest restoration that
recognizes current forest conditions are significantly departed from natural
ranges of variation. The science enabled consensus amongst the CBC.
• With the support of the CBC, the forest has more than tripled it’s annual
timber sold volume since 2008, from about 35 MMBF to 120 MMBF a year.
• The CBC was awarded the USDA’s “Abraham Lincoln” award in 2015 for
“thoughtful and deliberative problem solving that resulted in accelerated
restoration and ecological, social and economic benefits for the citizens of
north-central Idaho”.
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Collaboration: Case Study
-2.00
-1.50
-1.00
-0.50
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Net Growth as % of BF Volume on Timberland, by National Forest (Idaho)
Clearwater Idaho Panhandle Nez Perce Boise Payette
Since the formation of the CBC, growth rates on the Clearwater National Forest have increased the most of any forest studied (+.77%) and mortality on the Nez Perce has slowed.
Good Neighbor Authority
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• GNA enables the Forest Service to partner
with the states to increase the pace and
scale of forest and watershed restoration
activities on federal forests.
• Designed to be self-funding over time,
through timber sale revenue which will
lead to increased restoration and
management in the forest.
• Allows knowledge sharing between state
and federal agencies.
GNA Snapshot
Idaho Montana
Projects with Timber Removal Completed or In-Progress 2016-2023
14 17
Projects without Timber Removal Completed or In-Progress 2016-2023
29 N/A
Estimated Acres Treated by 2023
13,568 10,934
Estimated Harvest Volume by 2023 (MBF)
113,058 68,599
Good Neighbor Authority
34Note: Map current as of 2-25-19. Project status changes frequently.
Shared Stewardship
“Shared stewardship simply means we
share decision space with states, partners
and tribes. Together we choose the right
tools, the right places and the appropriate
scale to invest our resources. We jointly set
priorities that incorporate each other’s
knowledge, skills and personnel.”
– Vicki Christiansen
Chief, US Forest Service
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Shared Stewardship
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In action, means:
• A sense of interdependence
and shared responsibility
• Outcomes based investment
strategies
• Working across
ownerships/boundaries
• Recognition of a need to
increase treatment areas
(active management)
Active Management
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Active Management
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Total Idaho & Montana National Forest Sold Volume (MMBF) vs. Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) 1990-2023
Volume Sold (MMBF), Idaho and Montana ASQ Idaho and Montana
Idaho National Forest Suitable Acres Managed 2010-2018
39*Total Suitable Acres: 4,202,010*Fuels Treatment: mechanical removal (non-commercial harvest), prescribed fire, and naturally occurring wildfire deemed beneficial to the landscape.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial 16,870 69,140 23,206 155,528 36,905 76,032 146,768 172,739 141,612
Commercial Harvest Acres 3,887 6,244 10,536 8,813 9,542 7,090 6,036 9,489 16,580
Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres 26,855 17,737 11,636 17,855 12,778 13,702 13,754 17,041 22,198
RX Fire Acres Treated 26,522 30,393 31,179 16,785 29,236 23,475 26,597 13,017 25,701
-
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Acr
es T
rea
ted
*
On average,
1.2% of Idaho’s suitable acres are treated each year
Idaho National Forest Region ComparisonAcres Managed 2010-2018
13%
9%
7%
71%
Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018ID Region 1
Total Acres: 461,802
RX Fire Acres Treated
Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres
Commercial Harvest Acres
Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial
40
20%
14%
5%
61%
Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018ID Region 4
Total Acres: 831,676
RX Fire Acres Treated
Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres
Commercial Harvest Acres
Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial
Total Idaho acres managed (region 1 & 4): 1,293,478
On average,
0.5% of Montana’s suitable acres are treated each year
Montana National Forest Suitable Acres Managed 2010-2018
41* Total Suitable Acres: 5,539,703* Fuels Treatment: mechanical removal (non-commercial harvest), prescribed fire, and naturally occurring wildfire deemed beneficial to the landscape.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial 8,283 29,151 25,522 55,918 45,078 147,591 46,932 142,246 50,993
Commercial Harvest Acres 12,884 9,845 9,997 12,436 10,684 8,014 7,980 6,094 10,132
Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres 25,312 14,709 11,851 12,237 15,865 12,137 13,148 13,642 16,126
RX Fire Acres Treated 15,689 30,520 19,914 15,222 16,520 18,620 13,373 12,894 21,892
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
Acr
es T
rea
ted
*
Montana National Forest Region ComparisonAcres Managed 2010-2018
18%
14%
9%
59%
Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018Total Acres: 939,451
RX Fire Acres Treated
Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres
Commercial Harvest Acres
Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial
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Summary
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Desired Results
To increase the pace and scale of treatment on national forests, Idaho will need to commit resources to increasing activity as outlined in the Shared Stewardship agreement signed in December 2018.
Status Quo Treating the forests at our current pace, it will take ~121 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.
MOU 1.0Treating the forests by only doubling the current pace of commercial harvest, it will take ~103 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.
MOU 2.0Treating the forests at double the current pace (commercial harvest & hazardous fuels treatments), it will take ~60 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.
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Desired Results
In Montana, a similar commitment could reduce the time needed to treat at-risk acres in half.
Treating the forests at our current pace, it will take ~114 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.
Treating the forests by only doubling the current pace of commercial harvest, it will take ~93 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.
Treating the forests at double the current pace (commercial harvest & hazardous fuels treatments), it will take ~57 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.
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Desired Results
PURPOSE
• Increased forest resilience and decreased catastrophic fire risk
PEOPLE
• Greater collaboration between state and federal governments (cooperative federalism) and stakeholders
PROCESS
• Continued focus on using new technology to collect data that will drive forest management decisions
• Increased sharing of data and science that can help government, private, and industry land owners better manage their forestland
PERFORMANCE
• A measurable increase in the pace and scale of treatment on public lands
Where did this data come from?
National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM) data is a collaborative process led by the Forest Health Monitoring program (FHM) and the USDA Forest Service that can be used to identify the potential impacts of pests and pathogens to forest ecosystems throughout the US for the time frame 2013-2027.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data helps determine how much forest exists, where it exists, who owns it and how it is changing. It has been collected since 1930.The total nationwide fire acres were found on the National interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website that houses the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) fire
data yearly reports. These can be found at https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_statistics.html. The data on harvest came from USFS Cut and Sold Reports found at https://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/products/cut-sold/index.shtml.
Thank YouTom Schultz, VP of Government Affairs | tom.schultz@idfg.com