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40th Annual Idaho State Forestry Contest
KIVI, 5-10-23
The Idaho Department of Lands is hosting its 40th annual Forestry Contest on Thursday, May 11 at Farragut Park near Coeur d'Alene.
The contest is for students grades 6-12 and focuses on basic forestry and resource management in three levels of testing, rookie, junior and senior divisions.
Individuals and teams are tested and scored for their skill levels in specific areas including log scaling, timber cruising, tree and plant identification, map reading, compass reading, tool identification, soils and water quality, tree health, silviculture and noxious weeds
The first, second, and third-place finishers in their respective divisions can earn scholarship money or cash prizes from $50-$1000.
This year's contest will feature a job fair during the lunch break for participants to meet with prospective Natural Resource employers.
To learn more about this event, visit the forestry contest website at idl.idaho.gov.
Most do not need permit to harvest mushrooms
St. Maries Gazette Record, 5-10-23
The harvest has begun. The mushroom harvest that is.
Officials with the state and national forests encourage people to enjoy the hunt for the delectable delights but caution folks to be safe and respectful of the public land.
When collecting on federal land, people who plan to collect more than a gallon a day are required to get a free personal use permit from their local Forest Service office. The permit allows collection of up to five gallons per day and up to 20 gallons per season.
“The free permits are simply a way to appropriately manage mushroom harvesting activities, monitor use, and protect resources,” they wrote in a recent press release.
The state does not require those picking for personal use to get a permit.
“This is an honor system. There is no problem with people picking mushrooms and sharing the excess with friends and family,” Public Relations officer Sharla Arledge said. “The concern is people collecting the mushrooms and selling them, making a profit at the expense of the endowment beneficiaries.”
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Burn permits required starting May 10
St. Maries Gazette Record, 5-10-23
Those wanting to burn will need to get a permit from the Idaho Department of Lands starting today.
Idaho’s closed fire season began today, May 10 and the season will run through October 20. Those who plan to burn outside of city limits must contact the IDL for a free state fire burning permit.
The permit is good for 10 days and can be obtained by visiting burnpermits.idaho.gov. Permits are not required for recreational camp fires.
“The burn permit system reduces the number of false alarms and allows fire crews to respond only when truly needed. Having a burn permit on record means fire managers can also respond more quickly to fires that escape,” IDL Director Dustin Miller said in a press release. “Obtaining a free burn permit can also potentially reduce the liability of the burner if their fire escapes.”
For more information or to acquire a permit in person, call the local IDL office at 208-245-4551.
May 10th Marks Burn Permit Begin Date
Mountain Home News, 5-10-23
Boise, ID – Escaped debris burning is the number one cause of wildfires in Idaho. Preventing unwanted human caused fires is important to everyone because firefighting resources are limited.
Nearly 80% of the fires already suppressed by Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) so far this season were human caused and preventable.
To help curb unwanted human caused fires, Idaho’s closed fire season begins on May 10 and runs through October 20. Idahoans burning outside city limits must obtain a free state fire burn permit from IDL before burning debris.
Idaho, federal wildfire agencies update cooperative agreement
Capital Press, 5-9-23
The Idaho Department of Lands will provide primary wildfire protection on more land under an updated interagency agreement.
Growth in the wildland-urban interface also is addressed in the Idaho Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Agreement, last updated in 2016.
The agreement provides a foundation for how state and federal fire agencies work together and a model for sharing resources, according to a multi-agency news release. It aims to simplify business processes, align core missions and enable agencies to respond across the state while retaining flexibility to adjust to fires and the environment.
Mutual aid, which calls for the closest agency to respond to a fire regardless of land jurisdiction, is more formal in the new agreement, Josh Harvey, Department of Lands fire management chief based in Coeur d’Alene, said in an interview.
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Orofino High School Students Team Up with Forest Service for Idaho State Forestry Contest
Big Country News, 5-8-23
OROFINO, ID - With the help of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest and funds made available through the North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), Orofino High School will be sending two teams to Farragut State Park in Athol, ID later this week to compete in the Idaho State Forestry Contest. The two teams are comprised of students from Mrs. Louise Allen’s Fisheries, Wildlife & Forestry class.
According to the Forest Service, Mrs. Allen submitted a proposal to the RAC and was subsequently awarded approximately $7,500 to purchase "tools of the trade" used by foresters and to provide for field trips for the entire class, and to cover travel expenses for the Forestry teams’ trip to the competition.
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Closed Fire Season permits available starting May 10
KIVI, 5-8-23
BOISE, Idaho — Nearly all wildfires in Idaho are caused by humans, and according to the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), nearly 80% of the fires this season were human-caused and preventable.
Beginning May 10 and running through October 20, referred to as the Closed Fire Season, Idaho residents burning outside of city limits must obtain a state fire burn permit before burning debris.
The permit is free of charge and is good for ten days. The permit can be easily obtained online at burnpermits.idaho.gov. If you do not have access to the internet, you can call or visit any IDL office to get your permit.
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Burn permits required after May 10 in Idaho
Big Country News, 5-8-23
BOISE - Escaped debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in Idaho.
Nearly 80% of the fires already suppressed by the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) so far this season were human-caused and preventable.
To help curb unwanted human-caused fires, Idaho’s closed fire season begins on May 10 and runs through October 20. Idahoans burning outside city limits must obtain a free state fire burn permit from IDL before burning debris.
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Idaho is training loggers to fight forest fires
Standard Journal, 5-7-23
Governor Brad Little proclaimed the month of May as Wildfire Awareness Month, and as the State of Idaho actively gears up for fire season, the Governor’s administration is teaming up with loggers to better fight wildfires in Idaho forests.
Fighting wildfire safely requires training. The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is creating new opportunities to train loggers, foresters, and landowners of large tracts of industrial forestland to safely help fight wildfires, keep lands healthy, and save scarce firefighting resources.
In his first State of the State and Budget Address in 2019, Governor Little talked about Idaho’s leadership in embracing fresh, collaborative approaches to land and fire management. He pointed to the hundreds of ranchers and farmers who have become members of rangeland fire protection associations across southern Idaho.
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'Women in the Woods' training offered
Bonner County Daily Bee, 5-6-23
Men in beards and flannel, move over; women are headed into the forest for a Women in the Woods workshop May 19 in Sandpoint.
The workshop, held at Pine Street Woods, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no charge to attend, with the event sponsored by Kaniksu Land Trust and the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation.
While the event is open to everyone, Women in the Woods provides a wide range of training geared for women by women foresters to give them hands-on experience, inspiring more active participation in managing family-owned forests.
Women landowners play an increasingly important role in forest management decisions, but they are often in the minority at forestry education events in Idaho. To change that trend, Idaho Department of Lands officials are hosting women-centric forestry training.
This is the second event taught by women foresters from IDL and the University of Idaho Extension.
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Forest measurements class set for Sandpoint
Bonner County Daily Bee, 5-6-23
Good decisions require good information on a forest; whether determining how much to thin or what species, preparing for a timber sale, or managing for other values. Some forest owners like to make these decisions intuitively. But careful measurements can often illuminate misconceptions about a forest developed from casual observations.
A University of Idaho Extension program titled “Measuring Your Trees” is designed to give forest owners a basic understanding of forest measurements. It also will help them collect some of their own data and strengthen their interactions with professional foresters and technicians regarding data-based forest management decisions.
The morning will be spent indoors, focusing on principles guiding the measurement of trees and forests. The afternoon will be spent outdoors, measuring a variety of forest characteristics using clinometers, diameter tapes, angle gauges, and other forest measurement tools.
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May is 'Wildfire Awareness Month'
Rexburg Standard Journal, 5-1-23
Idaho Governor Brad Little today proclaimed May to be Wildfire Awareness Month, calling on all Idahoans to prepare for the threat wildfire represents to families and communities.
With fire season quickly approaching, there’s no better time for all Idahoans to learn about protecting their homes, families and property from the effects of wildfire.
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is doing its part in getting the fire prevention word out by participating in many wildfire preparedness events across the state. Additionally, the agency’s website offers detailed information about fire prevention, defensible space strategies, and wildfire preparedness.
Community Thanks
Coeur d'Alene Press, 5-7-23
ARBOR DAY: Seedling program a success
The Arbor Day Organization of North Idaho (ADONI) would like to thank all those who helped make the 2023 Arbor Day seedling program a success. ADONI is a small nonprofit organization that is run entirely by volunteers. What started out as a small program for local fourth graders 38 years ago has now expanded to include all the grade schools in Kootenai County, and we have now given away more than 85,000 seedlings.
We especially want to thank the following companies for stepping up to cover our costs this year: Idaho Forest Group, Avista Utilities, Bartlett Tree Experts, Potlatch Deltic, Inland Empire Paper Company, Stimson Lumber Company, Inland Forest Management and Idaho Department of Lands. Additional supporters also included: Coeur d’Alene Albertson’s, Starbucks Coffee, Idaho Department of Lands and the Coeur d’Alene Press.
Many thanks also to the nearly 60 dedicated enthusiastic volunteers (including many Venture and Coeur d’Alene High School students, U.S. Forest Service, BLM and Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene Parks personnel, Master Gardeners and many other citizens) who spent a cool morning individually bagging and tagging the 2,500 trees needed for this effort.
A limited supply of seedlings are available to the public at all of the county libraries. We hope everyone who received a free seedling will enjoy watching it grow for many years to come. It will be a living legacy of Arbor Day 2023.
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Free Burn Permits Now Required
Posted May 11, 2023
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***Free Burn Permits Now Required***
With thousands of people expected to get a burn permit in Idaho this year, the Idaho Department of Lands is making it easy to get a permit with a self-service website and a how-to video tutorial. Watch: https://loom.ly/Czjp2Mk
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Idaho State Forestry Contest is today!!
Posted May 11, 2023
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