Weekly Fire Update
IDL's fourth team fire, the Old Ahsahka Fire, started August 19 and was managed by an IDL Type 3 Incident Management Team (Nate Rogers I.C.). By August 23 it was 100% contained and returned to the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association.
View the Most Current Wildfire Report on IDL's Fire News Feed
Staff Well-Being
This week IDL's executive team discussed the stresses experienced by all IDL staff over the past few years, including issues such as Covid and the response, inflation and economic conditions, staffing-levels and ongoing vacancies, personal challenges, and more. Work/life balance was a common theme and is important to maintain.
It's important that all leaders within IDL recognize the stresses and listen to their staff.
Discussing these issues can be difficult for some and we need to make sure IDL team members know that they can bring things forward to their leadership. We also need to ensure that employees are aware of the resources available to them if they are facing personal or professional challenges.
The executive team will continue this discussion at its September strategy meeting and explore how leadership can better engage with staff to help them maintain their well-being.
IDL's Miller and Brede Join Governor at St. Maries Capital for a Day
On August 17, Director Dustin Miller and St. Joe Supervisory Area Manager Tony Brede joined Governor Little at the St. Maries Capital for a Day event.
IDL manages 72,102 surface acres in Benewah County and in FY22 the trust distributed $270,592 to the local school districts. During FY23 the department brought 80 million board feet of timber to market via eleven timber sales in Benewah County.
On land IDL protects in Benewah County, so far this year 14 fires have burned 170 acres. This acreage includes the Tyson Fire which burned 155 acres and cost an estimated $2.7 million to suppress.
Citizens attending the event expressed interest in a land exchange underway between IDL and the county.
Community Takes Action After Cougar Fire
On August 18, IDL quickly and aggressively suppressed the Cougar Fire, west of Coeur d'Alene Lake off Cougar Gulch Road. Crews held the fire to half an acre.
This incident led Representative Ron Mendive, who lives near it, to call a community meeting to help neighbors new to the area learn how to live more safely in the wildland urban interface.
Rep. Mendive is no stranger to wildfires. In the early 1970s he lived through a wildfire in the same area and credits defensible space for protecting his property and keeping his family safe. As chairman of the House Resources and Conservation Committee, he has worked closely with IDL on fire-related issues. He also owns and operates forestry mastication equipment, helping people in his community make their properties Firewise.
On September 6 at 6 pm PT, Rep. Mendive will host a meeting for his neighbors at the Meadowbrook Community Hall. Staff from IDL and Kootenai County Fire & Rescue will be on hand to discuss how we fight fire, prevention tips, the importance of creating defensible space around homes, and much more.
Future Proofing IDL
Executive leadership continues to discuss how the priorities identified in the Future Proofing IDL strategic initiative dovetail with the agency's vision, Prepared for tomorrow’s natural resource challenges.
Here's an update on each of the six elements of the future proofing plan:
- Classification & Compensation: Intentionally monitor our pay and benefits to ensure we are utilizing our PC appropriation to hire, develop and retain the right people in the right positions most effectively.
- Office Facilities: Proactively plan for maintenance and replacement of our offices throughout the state.
- Seasonal Housing Facilities: Address the needs of temporary staff who are critical to achieving our mission and must have available and affordable housing options.
- Fire: Monitor, understand and respond to changes that are happening in wildland fire organizations across the country due to longer and hotter seasons, fewer firefighters entering the career field, lagging wages and more citizens residing in the WUI.
- Fund Integrity: Ensure our dedicated fund dollars are put to work in the programs for which they are intended and that overhead activities are funded proportionately with the correct programmatic mix.
- Policy & Procedure: Update and organize the many policies and procedures that inform our daily work while ensuring governance is clearly established and authority delegated where appropriate.
Progress is being made but IDL must remember these are not short-term initiatives. The executive team will pursue options to ensure that staff are aware of the IDL strategic plan and Future Proofing IDL.
Because an IDL Team Member Asked for It...
This groaner is inspired by ongoing discussions about future proofing IDL.
Director Miller's Favorite Dad Joke This Week:
Q: Why should you worry about the future of the calendar?
A. Because its days are numbered.
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Delivered Product Sales But Were Afraid to Ask
Timberland owners use two basic timber models for selling forest products, with timber sold either as stumpage or as delivered products.
Montana and Washington both use stumpage sales and delivered product sales to sell state-owned timber. Industrial landowners and most consultant foresters working with larger private landowners also use the delivered product sale approach because it provides increased revenue and better control of timing and results for their clients.
Historically, IDL has sold endowment timber using the stumpage model, with standing timber sold at public auction and purchasers being responsible for harvesting and removing the trees at their expense.
IDL now has another option for selling timber.
Under IDL's delivered products pilot program, the agency can sell at public auction specific product sorts like pulp, posts and poles, sawlogs, cedar poles, or house logs directly to end-users, contracting with loggers to harvest and deliver the product sorts.
This pilot project will determine if the delivered products model can help the agency strategically market sales and specific products to improve net returns. Ultimately, delivered products may help IDL meet its constitutional mandate to maximize long-term returns for the beneficiaries.
The Idaho Legislature and Governor approved IDL’s FY2021 budget request for $500,000 to implement a Delivered Product Sales Pilot Program. Subsequently, in March of 2022, IDAPA 20.02.14 was updated to authorize IDL to sell endowment timber as delivered products.
Read the news release about delivered product sales
Visit IDL's delivered products webpage
Idaho Department of Lands Hiring Seasonal Workers to Meet Surging Demand for Wildland Firefighting Equipment and Supplies
“Lives, property and valuable timber resources depend on our ability to supply firefighting equipment when it is needed, where it is needed,” declared Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) director Dustin Miller.
That’s why the agency is hiring at least ten seasonal team members to help meet the surging demand for wildfire equipment and supplies.
IDL’s Coeur d’Alene Interagency Fire Cache stocks and maintains wildland firefighting equipment and supplies, distributing these vital resources to crews battling wildfires across the west.
“Many items used on the fireline like fire hoses, chainsaws and water pumps come back to the Fire Cache and can be used on future fires after they are refurbished,” said IDL director Dustin Miller. “Returning and refurbishing equipment reduces fire expenses and saves taxpayers money.”
During the height of fire season, refurbishing equipment requires many helping hands, explained Miller. “With equipment returning from the field, and the likelihood of more wildfires the horizon, each season we bring in help to maintain short turn-around times.”
“The seasonal employees we hire do essential work,” said Miller. That work includes washing fire hoses, boxing up supplies, loading and offloading trucks, pressure-testing water handling equipment, making deliveries to fires and much more.
Driving positions are also available for those with valid driver’s licenses and experience driving forklifts or box trucks. You must be at least 18 years old to apply.
The jobs pay $17.92 per hour and team members work from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, six days a week. These positions are eligible for overtime pay.
Apply today by emailing your resume to careers@idl.idaho.gov, or by visiting https://www.idl.idaho.gov/jobs.
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Most Have Heard of Fire Restrictions, But Few Know How They’re Set
Many Idahoans have heard of fire restrictions during the summertime, but how decisions to implement restrictions are made, and who makes those calls, has always been a little mysterious.
In hope of making the fire restrictions process more transparent, IDL sent out a news release explaining the how and why and providing links to the Fire Restrictions Finder page with its GIS-enabled map so people can know what restrictions are in place anywhere in the state before heading out for adventures.
Extreme Fire Danger Warrants Checking Months Old Burn Piles for Smoldering Material
Since much of Idaho now faces Extreme or Very High fire danger, Idaho Department of Lands fire managers ask anyone who burned large piles of materials this spring or last fall to confirm their piles are out cold.
“Recent high temperatures have rekindled material burned months ago that has been smoldering deep within burn piles,” said IDL’s Mica Forest Protective District Warden Terry Zufelt “Given current conditions, when the piles reignite, they are a serious wildfire risk.”
According to Zufelt, devastating wildfires sparked by old burn piles occur far too often. “The Hunter 2 Fire near Blanchard in 2020 started when an old burn pile roared back to life, scorching more than 700 acres.” There have been smaller wildfires ignited by old burn piles this year.
“All human caused fires are preventable,” Zufelt added.
Doubling Down on Dad Jokes
Just when you thought the jokes couldn't get worse...
Q: Did you hear they're filming a Back to the Future sequel?
A: It's about time.
Endowment Beneficiaries to Receive Record High Distribution in Fiscal Year 2025
IDL worked with EFIB Manager of Investments Chris Anton to send out a news release announcing the record distribution for FY25.
The Land Board approved distributing a record high $103.2 million to endowment beneficiaries in Fiscal Year 2025. This eclipses the prior year record distribution of $100.3 million by more than 2.9%.
The endowment fund had investment gains of 10.9% in Fiscal Year 2023 and the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) generated $52.3 million of net income from endowment land.
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
One Team One Voice Newsletter Archive
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:
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