Idaho’s top elected officials on Tuesday approved a logging plan for state lands next year aimed at selling 252 million board-feet of timber.
The plan, OK’d by the Idaho Land Board, is in line with the levels of the past five years and will potentially bring in $65 million to $85 million for the state’s endowment, which largely benefits public schools. Logging is the top source of income from Idaho’s endowment trust lands, which raise money for schools and other state institutions including universities, prisons, and state hospitals.
The timber sale plan for fiscal year 2018 is up slightly from this year, in which 247 million board feet were targeted for sale. It now appears, however, the figure will come in closer to 250 million board feet.
The board, led by Gov. Butch Otter, voted unanimously to endorse the plan.
The Idaho Department of Lands says the blueprint follows the forest asset management plan the state approved in 2009. It was designed to harvest timber from state endowment lands at a sustainable, profitable level that can continue each year into perpetuity by balancing growth rates, market demands, and other factors.
Four North Idaho timber companies submitted letters in support of the plan: Idaho Forest Group, Stimson Lumber Company in Coeur d’Alene, Bennett Lumber in Princeton, and Empire Lumber in Kamiah. (Spokesman-Review)
