|
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — More than 22,000 acres of privately owned working forestland in North Idaho are now permanently protected through the first phase of the Spirit of Mount Spokane Forest Legacy Project, a partnership between Trust for Public Land, Inland Empire Paper Company, Idaho Department of Lands and the USDA Forest Service.
The Forest Legacy easement ensures the forestland will remain intact and actively managed for timber production while safeguarding public access, wildlife habitat and drinking water resources for communities in Idaho and Washington.
The project protects forestland located about 30 minutes from both Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington along a scenic ridge of forested foothills with views of Mount Spokane.
Through the Forest Legacy Program, Inland Empire Paper Company voluntarily sold the development rights on the property while retaining ownership, paying taxes and continuing to manage the forest for sustainable timber production. The agreement ensures the land will remain a working forest in perpetuity.
“Protecting working forests like these means protecting the benefits they provide to people and communities,” said David Weinstein, Associate Vice President and Northern Rockies Program Director for Trust for Public Land. “This conservation easement keeps these forests working while permanently protecting public access, safeguarding clean drinking water and conserving critical wildlife habitat across the region.”
This easement permanently secures free public access for nonmotorized recreation across thousands of acres including hunting, hiking, mountain biking, wildlife viewing and berry picking. Motorized access will continue through Inland Empire Paper Company’s existing permit system, which helps support road maintenance and responsible land management.
“The Spirit of Mount Spokane Conservation Easement allows us to continue managing this land as a working forest,” said Chris Robinson, President and General Manager of Inland Empire Paper Company. “This land supports a 100% renewable and sustainable natural resource. Ensuring this land is protected from future development is a win for the region, and the local communities it surrounds.”
Forest Legacy projects like this one help reduce pressure for subdivision and development in rapidly growing areas of North Idaho while ensuring large forest landscapes continue providing economic, recreational and environmental benefits.
“Keeping large forest landscapes intact helps limit expansion of the wildland-urban interface and reduces vulnerability to catastrophic wildfire,” said Dustin Miller, Director of the Idaho Department of Lands. “By preventing fragmentation and development in these forests we can support active management and help ensure fire protection can be provided with fewer resources.”
“The Forest Legacy Program helps keep forests as forests,” said Dan McKeague, USDA Forest Service Acting Deputy Regional Forester for the Northern Region. “Projects like Spirit of Mount Spokane protect important natural resources, support active forest management and provide long-term benefits like recreation access for communities across the Inland Northwest.”
The project also protects a portion of the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, a sole-source aquifer that provides drinking water for more than 675,000 people in Spokane County, Washington and Kootenai County, Idaho.
The conserved lands strengthen wildlife connectivity between Mount Spokane State Park and nearby Idaho Endowment Trust Lands, supporting species including moose, elk, deer, turkey, black bear and westslope cutthroat trout.
Phase 1 protects approximately 22,352 acres of Inland Empire Paper Company forestland in Bonner and Kootenai counties. The project received $26 million through the federal Forest Legacy Program. Inland Empire Paper Company is providing the required 25 percent nonfederal match through a donation of easement value.
Established by Congress in 1990, the Forest Legacy Program is administered by the USDA Forest Service in partnership with states. The state Forest Legacy program works with willing private landowners to conserve working forests by purchasing development rights, ensuring the land remains forested and actively managed.
As part of the program, the land will be managed under a Forest Stewardship Plan and in accordance with Idaho’s Forest Practices Act.
# # #
About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than four million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, and raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
About Inland Empire Paper Company
Inland Empire Paper Company (IEP) upholds a proud tradition as a manufacturer of specialty paper products. We have continuously operated in Millwood, Washington since 1911, attributable to our employees and their dedication to excellence. Today, IEP supplies paper to over 160 customers throughout North America and produces 500 tons of paper daily. Integral to our mission, IEP continually strives to be good environmental stewards in our forestry practices and mill production processes to ensure a sustainable future.
About Idaho Department of Lands
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) manages more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust land to maximize long-term financial returns for public schools and eight other institutions. IDL also oversees forestry, wildfire protection, mining reclamation, and public trust lands and Idaho’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP). FLP originates through the USDA Forest Service and is implemented by the IDL.
About Idaho’s Forest Legacy Program
The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is a voluntary initiative that helps conserve at-risk timberlands as working forests, while protecting preserving wildlife habitat, protecting water quality, maintaining Idaho’s scenic landscapes and public access for recreation. FLP projects are nationally competitive for funding and succeed through partnerships among willing landowners, land trusts, USDA Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands. FLP enables landowners to safeguard their forestland for perpetual timber production, offering financial incentives similar to selling for development. Landowners retain ownership, continue to pay property taxes, and manage timber harvesting. By keeping forests working, FLP supports a steady supply of sawlogs and fiber for industry, supporting future mill infrastructure investments.
 Spirit of Mount Spokane FLP. Photo by Kestrel Aerial Services
 Spirit of Mount Spokane FLP. Photo by Kestrel Aerial Services
 Spirit of Mount Spokane FLP in the Fall. Photo by Jennifer Barker, IDL
 Spirit of Mount Spokane FLP in the Summer. Photo by Jennifer Barker, IDL
|
