Federal funds to bolster Bald Mountain Stewardship Project
Idaho Mountain Express, 2-2-22
A community-wide initiative started in 2014 to thin diseased and dead trees from Bald Mountain and replant new trees will get a $2.5 million financial boost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address forest health within the Sun Valley ski area and throughout the Wood River Valley over the next three years.
The Wood River Valley Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project, as part of the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project, was one of 17 initiatives selected for the USDA’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program. The funding will be used to reduce fire risk on and around Bald Mountain. The expansive effort involves targeted thinning of dead or dying trees, reforestation, non-native invasive plant reduction and improvement of wildlife habitat.
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Beetles and more at meeting
Coeur d'Alene Press, 1-28-22
A public meeting on Douglas fir beetles and a plan to reduce the threat from them is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Library Community Room, 702 E. Front Avenue, Coeur d’Alene.
Speakers will be Nick Goodwin, city of Coeur d’Alene urban forester; Erika Eidson, Idaho Department of Lands Forest Health Specialist; and Chelsea Jahant-Miller, USDA Forest Service entomologist.
They will cover how to identify Douglas fir trees on your property, how to identify a Douglas fir beetle infestation, how to treat a Douglas fir beetle infestation, and what the city is doing to protect public Douglas fir trees.
The meeting is hosted by the city of Coeur d’Alene’s Parks and Recreation Department, Urban Forestry Division.
Info: Nick Goodwin, 208-769-2266 or Ngoodwin@cdaid.org.
'Landscaping for Fire Prevention' workshop set
Bonner County Daily Bee, 1-27-22
Forest fires are a fact of life in the Inland Northwest.
Homes located on forested lands, also referred to as the "wildland interface," can be at high risk from forest fires. Rural homeowners can lessen that risk if they modify their houses and landscapes to make them less likely to ignite and easier for firefighters to access.
On Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, a three-hour workshop titled “Landscaping for Fire Prevention” will offer rural homeowners an opportunity to learn about such techniques, discuss their wildland fire experiences, and participate in a simple exercise to assess their homes' interface fire risk. The program will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the University of Idaho Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center, 10881 N. Boyer Road.
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USDA allocates $48 million to wildfire fuel reduction projects
Capital Press, 1-25-22
USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service will allocate more than $48 million this year in making Western forests less vulnerable to wildfires.
The agencies are investing in 17 new projects and 41 overall. NRCS said they include work to reduce wildfire risk, restore forest ecosystems, protect water quality, improve habitat and ultimately to help combat climate change. The projects involve agencies, local groups, private landowners and others.
The Scattered Lands Hazardous Fuels Project, in Idaho Panhandle National Forests in the state’s northern region, received $284,625.
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Workshop set on Douglas fir beetle management
Lewiston Tribune 1-25-22
An online workshop for managing Douglas fir beetles with pheromones will be held Feb. 10 via Zoom.
The University of Idaho Extension, Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Forest Service are offering a half-day program designed to answer forest owners’ and managers’ most common questions about Douglas fir beetle biology and a pheromone known as MCH. The program is from 1-4 p.m. and there is no fee to attend. Pre-program registration is required by Feb. 3 and is available at uidaho.edu/MCH.
Pheromones are semiochemicals that insects and other animals use to signal each other. Bark beetles react to pheromones emitted by their species to determine whether to attack a given tree or move on to another.
Scientists have been researching pheromones for decades to identify those that could be synthesized artificially and used to manage the behavior of insects. Bark beetles cause significant mortality in Northwest forests, especially in years following major windstorms.
Anyone needing technical assistance to register or access the course resources may contact Audra Cochran at audrac@uidaho.edu. For more information, contact Chris Schnepf at cschneph@uidaho.edu.
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