Timber Dollars

A tradition under scrutiny.

Drive anywhere in North Idaho, and you will see log trucks loaded with cut timber on the way to becoming transformed into new homes and businesses. Timber is one of the best construction materials available as it is made from a renewable source – trees. When builders use steel or other man-made products to build, the environment is impacted as those products introduce into the atmosphere harmful emissions due to their production. Trees, on the other hand, are grown. When properly managed, our forest becomes healthy and vibrant for generations to come. Proper harvesting and replanting is the key.

All across North Idaho, and in all 50 states, you will find this placard or yard sign displayed proudly: “This Family Supported by Timber Dollars.” Loggers, truckers, sawmill workers and landowners earn a living from forest products, as this is one of the oldest and proudest traditions we have in timber country. However, in Idaho as well as ten other Western states, that tradition is under scrutiny.

Speaking recently with District One County Commissioner, Lee Pinkerton, I asked about the growth of the timber industry here in North Idaho. He adamantly said, “That's an oxymoron. There is actually declining growth of the forest industry because access to our national forest, where all the resources exist, has been cut back over the years where our industry has been incrementally dismantled and sent elsewhere.”

When asked how we fix this problem, Pinkerton answered, “Get our forest back in use. The answer isn't just opening back up our forests, but rather we need to coax the industry that has left to come back.” He went on to say that when he grew up in this area, there were sawmills all over including several large mills. But over the years they were forced out and now that infrastructure is gone.

One of the key issues facing many Western states is that the federal government has taken possession of our national forests, and it is unrealistic to think they will walk away from their stake in that land without a fight. Pinkerton went on to say, “In reality, who cares who owns the ground as long as we are utilizing the resources that are there? So if they (the federal government) would go back to actively managing the forest for the resources that are there, that would be a small step back in the right direction.”

Of course there are two sides to the issue and many environmentalists and special interest groups believe that leaving the forest to take care of itself is the best answer. The opposing argument is that when this prescription is carried out, the forest becomes overgrown, diseased, and falls into decay. Nature does take care of the situation, but the extreme solution is for lighting to strike and burn the forest to the soil so that new growth can take its place and provide, once again, a working habitat for animals, plants and water ways. Managing the forest with proper, scientifically proven, strategies allows for the forest to be thinned out so that healthy trees can thrive, wildlife can live in abundance, and our economy can be stimulated through proper use of the timber.

One of the most interesting statistics about our forest here in Idaho – and across the nation – is that because of reforestation, our forest has actually grown in size over the past century. Nearly one-third of the United States is covered with forest. According to one source, there are over four million (4,000,000) new trees planted daily. We currently have more trees than we did 70 years ago. Currently, the growth of the forest is ahead of our consumption by loggers and sawmills, and any disease or insect destruction by a whopping 47%. That means that the forest, due to reforestation efforts and proper forestry techniques, when allowed, is actually growing - not diminishing, as some would propose.

The vast majority (63.1%) of Idaho’s land is owned or managed by the federal government. Management of federal lands continues to be problematic for counties. Laws such as the Endangered Species Act contribute to restricted activities that hurt local economies and communities, yet the demand for services from counties continues to increase. Increased visitors places a burden on the services already being provided to county residents: law enforcement, court services, roads and bridges, landfills, emergency rescue, indigent assistance and other services. Local communities and their taxpayers are being impacted by federal laws and management practices. Speaking with Terry Capurso, who recently ran for County Commissioner, he said the issue is one that needs to be addressed. Capurso cited various studies that conclude that federally managed forest resources cause a loss of income to the state itself. He said that when the Fed manages the resource the income to the state is $1; when the state manages its own resources, the income is $4. That's a big difference considering the money raised in this manner goes to support public education

Right now in Boundary, Bonner and Kootenai counties, there are several sawmills in operation that employ hundreds of Idaho residents. These sawmills are really a boon for the communities in which they reside, as high-paying jobs are available to those who want the work. The average wage at any of the local sawmills is well over $10 per hour with most starting at $12 or $13. There are many opportunities for skilled labor at these mills including millwright positions, mechanics and heavy equipment operators. The mills put huge amounts of money into the local economy, considering even the monthly power bill at one of these plants is well over $200,000.

There are many other facets in our communities that are touched by the timber industry as well. Wood pellets and logs, trucking, lumber stores, and construction workers are just some of those directly impacted by the timber industry. Moving into the future we need to recognize the responsibility that each state has to take care of its resources. Written into the constitution of Idaho, as well as most other states, is the understanding that the state's natural resources will be managed by the state itself. Maybe we should go back to the constitution and take responsibility for our beautiful Idaho.

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