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Half a million Blue Spruce seedlings to be given away throughout Idaho on Arbor Day
KMVT, 4-27-23
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Arbor Day is the last Friday in April.
The holiday is all about celebrating the important role that trees play in our environment and every day living.
This year, Idahoans from across the state are invited to celebrate.
The Idaho Forest Products Commission is making Blue Spruce seedlings available to people all across the state.
Anyone is welcome to stop by one of their pick-up location and get a tree to plant in your own yard.
This year, they will be giving away more than half a million seedlings.
The Home Depot in Twin Falls, Lincoln County Youth Center in Richfield, The Idaho Department of Lands Field Office in Jerome, The Kimberly City Offices in Kimberly, The Filer City Offices in Filer, Lake Walcott State Park in Rupert are a few of the available locations in this area.
For a full list of locations that are taking part in the dissemination process visit this link.
75 sites in Idaho will give away 20,000 free seedlings to celebrate Arbor Day. Here’s how to get yours.
Idaho Capital Sun, 4-26-23
To celebrate Arbor Day, the Idaho Forest Products Commission will give away 20,000 Idaho-native tree seedlings on Friday that were grown at University of Idaho’s Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery, according to a UI press release. Treasure Valley residents are also invited to attend an Arbor Day celebration Friday at the Idaho State Museum.
The coniferous blue spruce seedlings will be given away at 75 distribution sites, which are listed online, across the state on Friday.
Free seedlings, refreshments, informational booths, presentations and a ceremonial tree planting will also take place beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at Boise’s Julia Davis Park. Learning opportunities will be provided by organizers from the Idaho Forest Products Commission, Project Learning Tree, Idaho State Historical Society, Idaho Department of Lands, Boise National Forest, Idaho State Parks and Recreation, Treasure Valley Canopy Network, The Nature Conservancy and Boise City Forestry.
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BLM to conduct prescribed burns in southwest Idaho to reduce wildfire threat
KIFI, 4-26-23
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be conducting multiple prescribed burns in southwest Idaho beginning in late April through the end of June depending on weather, vegetation and ground conditions. BLM is implementing these burns to lower the risk of wildfire ignitions, protect sagebrush habitat, and to support rangeland research with partner agencies.
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Johnston Draw Blackline Prescribed Burn is an effort to create narrow strips of ground removed of vegetation through burning or manual removal that will act as outer boundaries for a larger prescribed burn planned for fall 2023. This burn is a part of a research effort to study fire’s effect on rangelands and is in coordination with the Agricultural Research Service, Idaho Department of Lands and private landowners. It is located near Reynolds Creek, approximately 50 miles southwest of Boise.
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Guest Opinion: This Arbor Day, celebrate our endowment forests
Idaho County Free Press, 4-26-23
I’ve spent more than a decade serving the people of the great state of Idaho. I continue to be amazed by our tremendous natural resources and how they benefit our citizens.
As State Controller, I am responsible for accounting for all state expenditures by providing accounting services to state agencies, processing payroll for approximately 25,000 state employees, and operating one of the state’s largest data centers. I also serve as a member of the State Board of Land Commissioners, better known as the “Land Board.”
The Land Board provides direction in managing 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust lands, including nearly a million acres of forestland. This land was granted to Idaho at statehood and has been working for Idaho’s public schools and institutions ever since. Revenue from trees harvested in these forests has long provided most of the money that goes into the endowment fund each year. In 2022, the payout from the endowment topped $88 million in distributions to public schools and universities, and state charitable institutions such as the Veterans Hospital and the penitentiary. More than $100 million will be distributed in 2023.
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NIC to host free Arbor Day event
Coeur d'Alene Press, 4-26-23
North Idaho College is hosting its third annual drive-thru Arbor Day event at noon Saturday, April 29, at the Molstead Library parking lot at NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus.
The event is free and open to the public. Once on campus, signs will direct traffic flow.
The event is hosted by NIC in partnership with Idaho State Parks and Recreation, the City of Coeur d’Alene, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Arbor Day Foundation and New Leaf Nursery in Hayden.
Attendees will receive a free Eastern red cedar or European bird cherry seedling grown locally by Clifty View Nursery in Bonners Ferry. There will also be prizes, raffles and free NIC stickers.
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Burns prescribed for Red River
Idaho County Free Press, 4-26-23
Idaho Fish and Game, in coordination with the Idaho Department of Lands and U.S. Forest Service, will be initiating prescribed burn operations on the Red River WMA now through to May, as weather permits. The prescribed burn area is a 314-acre meadow located along Red River Road (County Road 222) accessed from State Highway 14 southwest of Elk City.
Prescribed burn efforts on Red River WMA are planned to continue in future years to achieve:
Increasing spring/summer forage for elk and other big game species, moving the landscape towards desired ecological conditions, assisting with the suppression of noxious weeds, and increasing wildland fire protection for the Elk City community.
Community cleanup scheduled in Orofino on Saturday
Lewiston Tribune, 4-24-23
In celebration of Arbor Day, Urban Forestry of Orofino (UFO) in conjunction with the Idaho Department of Lands and Clearwater Potlatch Timber Protective Association (CPTPA) will be giving out free seedlings and holding an event raffle for ornamental trees/shrubs. Information on planting and tree care will be available. T-shirts are also being ordered. Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest will be handing out fire wise materials from Smokey the Bear. For more information call the City of Orofino at (208) 476-4725.
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Opinion: Reducing the risk of a big fire season
Post Register, 4-22-23
By REP. BRITT RAYBOULD | Guest columnist
The snow hasn’t disappeared yet from eastern Idaho. But before we know it, warmer temperatures will arrive. As things heat up and dry out, our risk of wildfire increases. Green grass and leafy trees that appear after a wet spring look amazing in our valleys and forests. But they also represent potential fuel sources for fires as we move into July and August. In preparation for the upcoming fire season, the 2023 Legislature supported several steps by Idaho’s Department of Lands to build up our in-state firefighting capacity.
First, DOL will soon wrap up final negotiations with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to update firefighting boundaries. The new agreement determines which agency leads the firefighting based on location. Starting this year, DOL will take over responsibility for a section of east Idaho, which requires reforming the Cottonwood District. The Legislature approved DOL’s request for additional equipment and personnel to staff this new area to protect public and private property. Responsibility for Cottonwood represents an increase in DOL’s overall firefighting obligations.
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Idaho Attorney General releases comments regarding the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project
KMVT, 4-21-23
BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — On Thursday, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sent a comment on the Draft EIS for the Lava Ridge Wind Project to the Bureau of Land Management.
According to a press release issued by the AG’s office, Congress mandated the Bureau of Land Management to “protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values.”
The press release goes on to say, the approval of this project cannot be justified under the law. The agency’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fails to account for the numerous harms the Project will cause. It represents a disregard for the environment and other vital interests entrusted to the agency’s safekeeping.
Furthermore, this Project is an assault on the sovereignty of the State of Idaho.
“The federal government has once again acted on behalf of corporate interests instead of the people. The Lava Ridge Project will harm Idaho’s farmers, wildlife, and tribes. My office will work within the confines of the law to fight this project,” said Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador.
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Happy Arbor Day
Posted April 28, 2023
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Take Your Child to Work Day
Posted April 27, 2023
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Take your child to work day at Idaho Department of Lands. Zoom meeting with the kids from across the state. How are you showing your child your work today?
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