An Impossible Task Overcome

At the beginning of this century, the economic future of Boundary County looked pale at best. Lumber mills were closing and the timber industry, the primary source of income to the county, seemed doomed. Access to the Panhandle National Forest by the timber industry was virtually denied through over-regulation, and alternative timber resources were drying up.

In October of 2001, a group of local, corporate and civic leaders created the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative (KVRI) to create a proactive community forum to discuss and develop a collaborative approach to the best use of the land. The KVRI brought representatives from the timber industry, landowners both corporate and private, the city, the county, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and conservation groups together – virtually everyone who had a presentable stake in the use of federal land in the Panhandle. The primary goal was to mediate sustainable stewardship and use of the Panhandle National Forest.

In 2010, the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership (IFRP) was formed to support, connect and inform all involved in these collaborative efforts throughout the state. In all, there are now nine collaborative groups in Idaho successfully addressing these land-use issues. The Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative is one of the nine groups profiled in an executive summary issued in November of 2013.

Collaboration Works

The summary outlines six primary areas of interest in the use of national forest land all of which affect the vitality of the timber industry in Boundary County.

Consider this – one of the six points outlined states that the industry’s infrastructure in producing forest products is essential to restoring forest land. Why? Because forest stewardship and restoration quite often involve mechanical treatments of thinning to remove hazardous fuel in fire prevention or removal of larger trees in order to propagate a diverse composition, which benefits wildlife habitat.

Another point clarified in the summary establishes management objectives under the Idaho Roadless Rule, which serve to avoid controversies of the past by focusing on “most active” use of roads in the front country. The front country is the land where roads, often gated, exist. The rule manages the use of those roads.

Three-quarters of the National Forest in Idaho is comprised of cold, moist forests. Restoration of this type of forest had plenty of long-held controversy in management solutions, but some collaborative groups isolated common ground to include objectives toward the reduction of fuel-load, enhancement of wildlife habitat and forestry practices that emulate natural disturbance patterns. These objectives include protection of select old-growth timber, reintroduction of native species like western white pine, and management toward sustained diversity in species mix and age class of trees in the landscape.

A fourth point of collaboration comes under a general agreement involving restoration of dry forests and hazardous fuels reduction in the rural interface where urban life intersects with wild land. Where man walks, lives most and does his thing is that area that often erupts in volatile opinion. The collaborative efforts have accomplished an enormous task on this sometimes treacherous ground.

Another point in the partnership summary recognizes that “multi-faceted restoration projects also enhance water quality.” That’s a powerful consideration in a time of national droughts and water use issues. The importance of quality water resources has gained spotlight attention on an international scale, and in this area Idaho, especially the Panhandle, is blessed. This point seeks to sustain that blessing. It does so by integrating timber harvest with vegetation treatments with a focus on the removal of fish barriers, the enhancement of elk habitats, rehabilitation of access trails and controlled expansion of recreational opportunities.

The summary also looks at restoring forest resilience through the lens of historic forest conditions. Major changes in a forest landscape make it more vulnerable to invasive species, insect infestations, altered fire patterns and even climate change. Forest resiliency is the landscape’s inherent ability to replenish itself toward historic conditions. Aided by best-use management practices, these collaborations stimulated in part by the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative have brought about realizable hope for management and use of the Panhandle National Forest lands among others.

Differences Overcome

The creation of the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative nearly 16 years ago was a true turning point in a once nearly out-of-control downward spiral that gripped Boundary County in bleak economic crisis.

The singular willingness and bravery of those who came together in this now long effort of collaboration to the betterment of all parties concerned, including the wildlife and trees of our landscape, is to be applauded.

Companies like The Idaho Forest Group who manage mills such as that in Moyie Springs are contributing to healthy forests with increased, but controlled, public access through managed recreational use. Restoration of sustainable forest landscapes means the return and continuation of Idaho’s many valued wildlife species including woodland caribou, wolves and grizzly bears to the greater abundance of elk, mule deer and whitetail. It means a greater abundance of upland birds including ruffed grouse, blue grouse, and wild turkey in Boundary County. And it all spills over into the watershed for a greater sustainability in riparian habitat, as illustrated by the efforts of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho to restore and sustain a healthy population of white sturgeon as well as burbot.

Recommended Management Practices

Working within the framework of existing laws, several sound recommendations were put forth in the executive summary initiated by the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership mentioned above.

Foremost in the IFRP recommendations are the following criteria:

• To fully fund what is now referred to as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program

• Perpetuate funding for hazardous fuels reduction

• Reauthorize stewardship contracting permanently

• Cover fire suppression costs without raiding operating budgets

• Foster continued collaboration through agency practices

• Work continually to improve efficiency in the implementation of select projects

• Maintain best practices for collaboration

• Expand financial support to groups

It all started under the Joint Powers Agreement that established the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative in October of 2001. Its leaders were Tribal Chair Gary Aitken, Sr. of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, former Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrell Kerby and County Commissioner Murreeleen Skeen. Current leaders as KVRI co-chairs are Tribal Chair Gary Aitken Jr., Mayor David Sims, and Commissioner Dan Dinning.

Many determined people came to the table of collaboration to see these projects through to fruition. Issues that once seemed unresolvable were resolved on common ground and just in time.

The initial idea was simply to share information and exchange ideas, anything that would help preserve, revitalize and eventually sustain a better use of the Panhandle National Forest. The collaboration led to partnerships and open community forums that help connect the interests of all residences including corporate with regulating agencies in a way that was positive and productive for all concerns.

Dwayne Parsons is a Realtor for Century 21 Beutler and Associates in Coeur d’Alene working primarily in Boundary County. He can be reached through his email at dparsons@21goldchoice.com.

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