18,000 Acres of New Endowment Land Benefits Public Schools, Supports Idaho’s Economy and Preserves Recreation
IDL announced today it purchased 18,047 acres of timberland spread across five north Idaho counties. Beyond generating ongoing revenue for endowment beneficiaries, this acquisition keeps working forests working, supports the forest products sector of Idaho’s economy and preserves recreation for the public. This purchase was authorized by the State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) in November of 2022.
In the $50.4 million deal IDL acquired 6,222 acres in Shoshone County, 4,563 acres in Benewah County, 4,005 acres in Bonner County, 3,216 acres in Boundary County and 40 acres in Kootenai County on behalf of the Public School, Normal School and State Hospital South endowments. Almost 84% of the land acquired benefits Idaho’s public schools.
The timberland was managed by Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, an investment management company and sold through a competitive sealed bid process.
IDL expects the newly acquired lands to positively impact its long-term timber sale volumes and revenue. The new lands feature a younger age-class of trees which means more of the endowment’s mature timber can be harvested in the near term while also allowing us to increase our timber sale volumes into the future.
The full impact on future endowment timber sale volume and revenue across all endowment timberland will be modeled in 2024 when IDL's Forest Asset Management Plan (FAMP) is scheduled for its next update.
While endowment land is not subject to taxation, the impacts of the acquisition on affected counties are limited. Records show property taxes on the acquired lands totaled $46,138 in 2022, or about $2.56 per acre.
Top of page
IDL Presentation to JFAC
Director Miller presented IDL's budget to JFAC today with Division Administrators Donna Caldwell and Craig Foss present for questions.
IDL's decision units include a number requests to modernize the fire management program:
- Re-establish the Cottonwood Fire Protective District in Eastern Idaho with equipment and staff
- Strategically locate additional 5 new engines and 15 crew members to decrease response times
- Add a new fire zone manager in southern Idaho to guide efficient
resource allocation
- Procure vital equipment including radio repeaters and mountaintop detection cameras
Other decision units include:
- One full time position to administer IDL’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP) that allows private landowners to voluntarily sell the development rights of their timberland, monetizing a portion of their holdings today while ensuring the land forever remains as working forests that produce sawlogs and fiber for industry.
Committee members asked thoughtful questions about IDL's fire management and fire requests, as well as questions regarding the requests for seasonal housing and scaling. IDL will be providing additional information for some of the requests.
Top of page
Rulemaking Presentations
On Monday, January 23, IDL will present two sets of proposed rule changes to the Senate Environment & Resources Committee.
Information about IDL's rulemaking and proposed legislation is available on our 2023 Legislative Priorities webpage.
Rules for Selling Forest Products on State-Owned Endowment Lands
IDAPA 20.02.14 - Pending Rule
The Rules for Selling Forest Products on State-Owned Endowment Lands (IDAPA 20.02.14) apply to purchasers of state endowment timber sales and forest products.
This administrative rule establishes a consistent process for selling forest products from state endowment lands by setting minimum requirements for timber sale auctions, initial deposits and bonding, stumpage and interest payment, and timber sale cancellation and termination.
Rules Governing Leases on State-Owned Navigable Waterways
IDAPA 20.03.17 - Pending Fee Rule
The Rules Governing Leases on State-Owned Submerged Lands and Formerly Submerged Lands (IDAPA 20.03.17) establish a consistent process to authorize specific encroachments on state-owned submerged lands and collect annual rent for their use. These uses typically include marinas, community docks, non-navigational encroachments, and oversized private docks that occupy the state’s lakes.
This lease program is funded by the Navigable Waterways Fund, a state dedicated fund. As a dedicated fund, those who benefit from this program pay for the services it provides. This rulemaking increases application and assignment fees to cover the actual administrative costs of processing submerged land leases.
Current lease holders will not be affected by this fee increase now, but applicants for new leases and those seeking to renew expiring leases in the future will pay increased fees. No fiscal impact to the General Fund is anticipated.
Watch the committee hearing:
Top of page
Stakeholder Bill to Address Recreation Impact on Endowment Land
IDL has received an update from the Idaho State ATV Association (ISATVA) that Sen. Mark Harris has agreed to sponsor the stakeholder bill designed to address recreational impacts on endowment land. Rep. Raymond will carry the legislation in the House.
The legislation is similar to HB 468, a bill IDL introduced during the 2022 legislative session. Over the past year IDL collaborated with ISATVA and a broad group of stakeholders to develop this legislation.
Although the bill is not sponsored by IDL, after it is printed it will be tracked in the weekly Legislative Update newsletter.
Top of page
New IDL Policies
IDL employees recently received three emails covering two new IDL policies and one policy that was revised.
Department Policy 355, Emergency Response Policy, is new and includes preparing for and having a response plan in place before emergencies arise. This does not replace your office specific Emergency Response Plan, but is in addition to your local plan.
Department Policy 115, Department Filing System, is new and was created under the guidance of Pat Brown and a working group of Tom Fleer, Jay Sila, Dean Johnson, Meribeth Lomkin, and Heath Hancock, with additional help from more staff than can be listed here.
Department Policy 3, Use of Attorneys, is a revised policy, expanding upon the original policy implemented in 2011 by including details about requesting and tracking IDL's legal requests. The policy includes:
- Setting priorities regarding IDL's legal matters, see Section B. (p.3)
- Authority to contact attorneys, see Section C. (p.3)
- Legal Request Tracking, see Section D. (p.3)
All policy and procedure documents are located on IDL's intranet at https://teamwork.idl.idaho.gov/IDL/Pages/IDL_Policies.aspx.
Top of Page
Fast Facts for Board Members Webpages
Late last year IDL launched a new online resource for Land Board members and their staff, Fast Facts for Board Members. These new webpages provide general information about IDL, contact information for executive staff, outline the agency's authorities and more!
In Case You Missed It
Top of Page
One Team One Voice Webpage
Did you miss some important news? Are you curious about knowing what's happening across IDL? Our One Team, One Voice webpage contains an archive of IDL's newsletters covering:
Top of Page
|
