Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Department Report
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Timber
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Attachment: Trust Land – Timber Sales
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Sold 20 million board feet of timber for $6 million in December with an upward bidding trend noted.
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January auction offers nearly 60 million board feet valued at $10 million.
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Fiscal year timber harvest receipts: $47.8 million, $5.2 million in December, $5.8 million projected for January.
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Timber harvest receipts at 102%, harvest volume at 105% of three-year average.
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Timber sales consistently performed at favorable prices.
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No questions
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Leases & Permits
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Attachment: Trust Land – Leases and Permits
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Issued seven instruments, no real estate transactions in December with non-timber revenue ahead of projections.
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Ahead of three-year average for leasing income, on track to meet fiscal year revenue targets.
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No questions
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Land Board Aging Report
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Attachment: Land Board Aging Report
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Land bank totaling $81 million, $17.2 million obligated to University of Idaho project
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Money deposited triggers a 5-year clock for land acquisition or rolls into Permanent Fund.
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$8.2 million expires in first and second quarters of FY26, ongoing investigation for land investments.
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Questions:
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What timeframe is there for the expenditure of the $17 million for the University of Idaho for the Café project. There is no specific timeframe mentioned.
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Are there upcoming billings for the project. Invoices for about $3.5 million are being processed with more expected during construction.
Endowment Fund Investment Board
Consent Agenda
Results of December 14, 2023 Mineral Lease Live Auction
Regular Agenda
Endowment Land Commercial Leasing Policy
Strategic Reinvestment Plan Review
Negotiated Rulemaking for IDAPA 20.03.13, Administration of Cottage Site Leases on State Lands
Negotiated Rulemaking for IDAPA 20.03.14, Rules Governing Grazing, Farming, Conservation, Noncommercial Recreation, and Communication Site Leases
Negotiated Rulemaking for IDAPA 20.03.15, Rules Governing Geothermal Leasing on Idaho State Lands
Negotiated Rulemaking for IDAPA 20.03.16, Rules Governing Oil and Gas Leasing on Idaho State Lands
Information Agenda
Shared Stewardship Updates
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Focus Areas and Accomplishments:
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Continued focus on implementing cross-boundary fuels reduction treatments in designated focal areas.
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Strategies to sustain treatments beyond infrastructure funding.
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Statewide overview of acres treated, showing a 71% increase on National Forests and 47% increase on state endowment lands within priority landscapes.
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GNA Foresters' Accomplishments:
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3,400 acres on federal forest lands administered by IDL GNA Foresters.
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35,157 truckloads of logs delivered to mills.
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Agreements signed for $3 million in funding for restoration activities on BLM and National Forest lands.
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Active timber sales resulting in $5.4 million across 3,000 acres.
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North Idaho Accomplishments:
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North Idaho shared stewardship coordinator, Jeff Lau, instrumental in progress.
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Total treated acres by ownership in the North Priority Landscape.
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Idaho Panhandle National Forest increased total acres treated by 53%.
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IDL treated over 7,000 acres, non-industrial private forest lands treated about 1,600 acres.
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Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership Award:
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Competitive grant program funding conservation and cross-boundary work.
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Scattered Lands Hazardous Fuels project awarded over $1.4 million.
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Joint Chiefs Project expanded to all three northern counties, focusing on 800,000 acres of high-risk forest lands.
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North Idaho Hwy. 95 Hazardous Fuels Project:
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Expansion of Joint Chiefs Project to three northern counties.
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Focus on about 800,000 acres of high-risk forest lands.
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Requested funding of $4.9 million for treating almost 8,000 acres and supporting over 78,000 acres of total cross-boundary treatments.
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Accomplishments Across Southern Priority Landscape (2023):
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Boise and Payette National Forest completed over 41,000 acres of treatments, a 78% increase from the previous year.
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IDL GNA foresters administered just over 2,000 acres.
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IDL foresters treated over 3,600 acres, and nearly 500 acres were treated on non-industrial private forest lands with financial assistance.
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Landmark Good Neighbor Authority Agreement with Adams County:
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In fall 2022, Payette National Forest signed a landmark Good Neighbor Authority agreement with Adams County.
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First use of the county provision of Good Neighbor Authority in Idaho.
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Agreement funded by infrastructure law, focusing on cross-boundary treatments on private and Forest Service lands.
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County agreements set up to fund additional county staff to handle increased workload and enhance competitiveness for grant funding.
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Expansion of Good Neighbor Authority Agreements (2023):
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Expanded success in Adams County to include new GNA agreements with Idaho, Boise, and Valley Counties.
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Funding amounts flowing from adjacent National Forests to counties through agreements.
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Focus on Highway 95 Corridor and New Partnerships:
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Continued focus on interagency resources and strategies within the Highway 95 corridor focal area.
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Added new subdivisions and partners like the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Increased cross-boundary work in Valley County, hiring a GNA-funded wildfire mitigation coordinator.
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Initiated projects in the Boise front focal area, supported by a multibillion-dollar agreement between the Forest Service and National Forest Foundation.
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Boise Front Focal Area Accomplishments (2023):
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Boise National Forest completed over 700 acres in the Johnson Creek project adjacent to privately treated lands.
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Boise County treated private land with Title 3 and HFR funds.
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Private forestry specialist completed demonstration sites for landowners to visualize post-treatment outcomes.
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Boise County is actively recruiting a GNA-funded Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator.
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National Forest Foundation gathering partner support for a $24 million NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant for cross-boundary work across the Southwest Idaho landscape.
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Background on Northern Region:
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Covers approximately 25,000,000 acres of national forests and grasslands in northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, parts of South Dakota, and a portion of Washington.
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Acknowledgment of Shared Stewardship Agreement:
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Emphasis on sustainability over time, irrespective of leadership changes.
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Highlighted pioneering efforts and success in sustaining relationships and making a positive impact on the ground for resources and communities.
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Key Principles of Shared Stewardship:
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Emphasis on relationships, collaboration, and addressing challenges together.
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Focus on doing the right work in the right places at the right scale to protect communities, critical infrastructure, and municipal watersheds.
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Learning, evolving, and adapting to challenges while celebrating successes.
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Investments for Success:
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Significance of investments in people, such as positions like Brian and Jeff, and in Foresters.
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Utilizing resources and workforce collaboratively, irrespective of land ownership, to achieve shared goals.
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Wildfire Season Successes:
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Shared examples of successful collaboration during the wildfire season.
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Referenced the Mercy Fire on the Panhandle and the role of Shared Stewardship and Good Neighbor Authority in suppressing the fire safely, protecting critical
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Geographic Coverage of Intermountain Region:
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Encompasses the southern part of Idaho, all of Nevada, a small portion of California, Utah, and a sliver of Wyoming.
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Goals of the Original Agreement:
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Shared Stewardship Agreement Average Acres Treated:
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Average acres treated per year from 2014 to 2018 was 68,000 acres.
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Between 2019 and 2023, the annual treatment increased to about 100 and 405,000 acres per year.
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Represents a significant 54% increase since the signing of the shared stewardship agreement.
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Various treatments, including mechanical treatment and prescribed fire, contribute to the increased acreage total.
- Questions:
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Are there key areas or pinch points that, if addressed, could further enhance the success of the GNA and Shared Stewardship efforts? Ongoing support is crucial, and budget enhancements for personnel and contracted services are needed. Increasing manpower, expertise, and sustainable funding are essential to expanding operations, especially in rural counties.
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Given the emphasis on infrastructure funding, how can the efforts be sustained without relying on significant federal resources in the long term? Initiatives like Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreements with counties aim to provide ongoing funding beyond infrastructure funds. By opening avenues for appropriate funds from National Forests to counties, there is a baseline of funding that continues even after infrastructure funding diminishes. Collaborative efforts with counties, assistance in grant writing, and equipping local entities contribute to sustaining efforts without solely relying on federal resources.
Forest Legacy Program
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Attachment: Forest Legacy Program
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Program Overview:
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Voluntary initiative empowering private landowners for perpetual timberland production.
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Landowners sell development rights at market value while retaining ownership, land management, and other rights.
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Funding not from Idaho's General Fund; sourced from congressional authorizations and offshore drilling royalties.
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Competitive grants from the U.S. Forest Service; landowners contribute a 25% tax-deductible match.
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Alignment with Goals:
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Aligns with Idaho's Forest Action Plan objectives and addresses national program priorities.
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Focus on preventing sprawl, ensuring a steady sawlog and fiber supply, and aligning with Forest Action Plan goals.
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Benefits and Impacts:
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Properties require a forest stewardship plan, promoting healthy forest management and mitigating wildfire risks.
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Prevents sprawl into the wildland urban interface, ensures a wood supply, and contributes to safer communities.
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Bolsters local economies, preserves rural jobs, keeps properties on county tax rolls, and expands recreational access.
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Opens lands for public use (hunting, fishing, non-motorized recreation) and preserves wildlife habitat, water quality, and scenic landscapes.
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Eligibility and Participation:
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Privately owned properties exceeding 5 acres, 75% forested, within Idaho's priority landscape areas.
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Competitive nationwide process for funding; prioritizing Idaho projects.
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Public Recreation and Expansion:
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90% of lands in the program are available for public recreation.
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Grants received for enrolling another 33,000 acres; competing for grants to enroll an additional 100,000 acres.
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Anticipating more interest, particularly from industrial forest landowners.
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Program Coordination and Management:
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Idaho Department of Lands has a full-time program coordinator and recently added a full-time program manager.
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The goal is to keep working forests productive, emphasizing the program's importance to the people of Idaho.
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Questions
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Are the 103,000 acres funded or acquired? The 103,000 acres are acquired.
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What is the difference between funded and acquired? Funded projects are awarded money but not yet acquired; acquired refers to the ones already secured.
Executive Session
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