IDL Scaling Program Success
Emily Barbe and Opal Frazier, trainees in the IDL scaling program, successfully passed their scaling licensure exam on September 29th. Achieving this milestone required them to pass the Idaho Board of Scaling Practices rollout of 200 logs with their gross and net volumes falling within plus or minus 2% of the acceptable range. They also had to identify the species of the rollout logs with 97% or better accuracy.
The scaling licensure exam has an average pass rate of only 48%, making their accomplishment even more impressive! IDL is proud of their dedication and commitment.
Current IDL scalers mentored and trained three trainees this year – the third, Brendan McMinn, passed the IBSP licensure exam May 18, 2023.
The role of IDL scalers is pivotal in fulfilling the department's endowment mission to generate the maximum long term return because they are responsible for precisely measuring logs delivered to mills for payment to IDL. Their expertise ensured the accurate measurement of 52,255 loads, with 6,880 of them being scaled on endowment timber sales for fiscal year 2023. This contributed significantly to a total revenue of $74 million. Their work plays a vital role in our organization's success and the responsible management of our resources to the beneficiaries.
The scaling program is always recruiting new trainees who are interested in learning to scale and work toward obtaining their scaling license through IBSP. Anyone interested in a potential trainee position can contact Shannon McCormick - smccormick@idl.idaho.gov or 208-666-8641.
Teamwork and Good Neighbor Authority Helps Improve Forest Health
On August 13, 2022, lightning sparked the Four Corners wildfire on the Payette and Boise National Forests near Cascade, Idaho. The incident management team deployed by the national forests contained the fire by mid-September of 2022, but it had already burned 14,000 acres.
Given that the incident occurred in a fireshed that presented great risks to nearby communities, leaving the dead and dying trees in the wildland urban interface (WUI) would create untold future wildfire risks for those living in the area.
That’s why a diverse team of forest resource specialists from the United States Forest Service (USFS), Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the forest products industry sprang to action. In the aftermath of the conflagration, they made plans to reduce the heavy fuel load left by dead or dying trees and restore critical portions of the forest to a healthy state. Together they identified a treatment area and quickly completed a thorough environmental analysis for salvaging dead, dying, and hazardous trees on 390 acres of the French Hazard WUI Project area.
In July of 2023 IDL offered 4.49 million board feet of salvage timber from the Hazard Salvage GNA timber sale to the highest bidder at public auction.
Idaho Forest Group (IFG) placed the high bid as the gavel dropped, purchasing the Hazard Salvage GNA timber sale for $165,227.50. The mill hired High Country Logging from Council, Idaho, to harvest the dead and dying trees. Within a week High Country was hard at work and delivering sawlogs to IFG’s mill in Grangeville, Idaho.
Approximately 40% of the Hazard Salvage GNA timber sale has been harvested to date. The salvage operation will likely to be completed by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
Miller Visits IDL Priest Lake Supervisory Area
On Tuesday, October 4, Director Miller visited IDL's Priest Lake area. He met with the area's manager, Dan Brown, and other team members.
During the visit Miller toured an active timber sale and inspected a bridge replacement underway for a different timber sale. IDL builds and maintains roads used for timber harvest by packaging development credits with timber sale contracts, paying contractors for road work specified by the agency.
The team also discussed the impacts of increased recreation in the area. Staff identified opportunities for IDL to work with other state agencies to increase opportunities for and access to camping, which could also generate additional revenue for the endowment beneficiaries.
Miller Visits IDL Pend Oreille Lake Supervisory Area
On Thursday, October 12, Director Miller met with Erik Sjoquist and his team at the Pend Oreille Lake Supervisory Area office in Sandpoint.
During the visit learned about public trust issues in the area. Public trust land is comprised of the beds of navigable waterways that Idaho received at statehood and is managed according to the Public Trust Doctrine. Unlike endowment land, public trust land benefits all Idahoans and does not have a mandate to generate revenue. Endowment land exists to generate revenue for specific groups of beneficiaries.
The team also discussed the impacts of ever-increasing recreation on endowment land, mitigating those impacts and opportunities to monetize recreation on endowment land.
Because an IDL Team Member Asked for It...
A joke with our HR department in mind....
Director Miller's Favorite Dad Joke This Week:
Q: How did the tree get a new job?
A. She had the right qua-leaf-ications.
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Buckets of Prevention
This fire season IDL gained an extremely useful and popular fire prevention tool. IDL’s “Fire Prevention Jen” purchased IDL logoed collapsible buckets complete with a storage cover and a campfire safety message.
These buckets meet the requirements for the tools needed by the public for safely having a campfire and extinguishing it once done. They have been very popular at community events with people coming specifically to our booths to ask for them. We usually run out of buckets before the end of the event.
The new swag was a hit with our partners for community events. Representatives from County Emergency Management, the Idaho Prescribed Fire Council, multiple local fire departments, community groups and the University of Idaho all applauded the new buckets and asked for more if we had them.
IDL has regularly given out Smokey Bear items for fire prevention, the new IDL buckets are a refreshing change of pace and are extremely well received. They also make for great candy buckets for the upcoming Halloween or at parades.
Miller Attends U of I College of Natural Resources Board Meeting
On Friday, October 13, Director Miller attended the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources (CNR) board meeting. Miller serves on the CNR board which meets twice annually.
During the meeting, a variety of faculty and staff members provided updates about initiatives underway at the college. IDL was pleased to learn about the successful implementation of the college's three new associate degree programs for forest operations, nursery management and wildland fire management. Staff reported that enrollment in the new programs is increasing.
Construction is also underway on two new greenhouses at the university's Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery. The nursery currently produces nearly 500,000 seedlings annually, including over 70 species of conifers, hardwoods and shrubs. It is a hands-on teaching facility that provides student-employees the opportunity to learn all aspects of nursery production and management, as well as to understand the processes of selecting seedlings for restoration and reforestation.
IDL Recognizes National Logger's Day
Thursday, October 12, was National Loggers Day! Loggers play a critical role in endowment forestry and forest health. IDL expressed its thanks to Idaho's loggers via social media.
WATCH AND SHARE THE FACEBOOK REEL (VIDEO)
Doubling Down on Dad Jokes
Just when you thought the jokes couldn't get worse...
Q: What is it called when a tree takes some time off?
A. Paid leaf.
Secretary McGrane Visita Fire Cache and Sarah Loop Fire
On Thursday, October 19, Secretary of State and Land Board member Phil McGrane visited IDL's fire cache in Coeur d'Alene and toured the site of the Sarah Loop Fire near Athol.
 Bjorn Jordan gives Secretary McGrane a tour of the cache
 Terry Zufelt in field with Secretary McGrane touring Sarah Loop Fire
PPE Keeps IDL Employees Safe
Some may question if personal protective equipment, PPE, is really necessary. We know it is!
This season during an IDL fire, a team member experienced an incident involving a chainsaw.
Thankfully, injury was averted because the employee was wearing chaps while sawing. This incident demonstrated how PPE can provide important safety protection.
The damage may not look like much on the chaps, but imagine if that was someone's leg. Fortunately, Kevlar chainsaw chaps are designed to provide protection from a chain speed of up to 3,200 feet per minute without cutting through.
IDL encourages employees not to take the use of PPE lightly or for granted. There is a reason IDL provides PPE that has been specifically designed for use during activities can pose risks. Keeping team members safe is our top priority!
While workplace hazards can never be fully eliminated, we can take precautions to avoid injury like providing and wearing the proper PPE, and training.
IDL seeks nominations for Forest Practices Advisory Committee
Director Miller is seeking nominations for two positions for the Idaho Forest Practices Advisory Committee (FPAC). Terms for the General Public Representative At-Large and General Public Representative North positions end December 31, 2023. Nominations for these three-year positions (2024-2026) will close October 31, 2023.
The purpose of FPAC, as established by Idaho Code, is to provide technical assistance to the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) in matters relating to the Idaho Forest Practices Act.
Applicants must be Idaho residents qualified through experience or training to provide technical advice on forest practices. A candidate must send a short biography and description of the nominee’s forest practices related experience/training to Jeanne Bradley at jbradley@idl.idaho.gov.
IDL GIS Launches New Newsletter
IDL's GIS shop recently invited users who used the agency's GIS products to join a new, internal mailing list. By opting into this email list subscribers will receive updates, maintenance and outage notifications and other important news about GIS services IDL provides.
Starting now, periodic GIS Notifications will ONLY be sent to subscribers. To stay in the know, sign up to receive GIS Notifications today!
Why Subscribe to the GIS email list?
- Stay informed of the latest developments, enhancements and new features within our program
- Receive timely alerts about planned maintenance and unexpected outages
- Gain access to helpful resources, tutorials and tips to maximize your GIS experience
How to Subscribe?
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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