National Forests

[Ron Scott]

Draft Forest Plan Adds 700,000 Acres to "Timber Base"

BlueRidgeNow.com (November 16) - Conservation groups are raising the alarm after the US Forest Service unveiled a draft proposal to designate nearly 700,000 acres of the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest as suitable for logging in its new management plan for the next 15-plus years.

Environmental leaders say the proposed "suitable timber base" puts logging ahead of restoration and recreation, while undermining the collaborative process now underway by including contentious areas such as Bluff Mountain, Big Ivy, and South Mills River in zones that could be cut.

US Forest Service officials and groups advocating for more logging to benefit game species say the conservationists are overstating the threat.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

 Oil, Gas, and National Forests

USFS Withdraws Oil and Gas Drilling Approval in the Gunnison National Forest

Enewspf.com (January 20) - Conservationists have settled a lawsuit that challenged the US Forest Service's approval of a new natural gas drilling project in Colorado's Gunnison National Forest without conducting the legally required analysis of environmental impacts. Following the conservation groups' opening brief in the case, the Forest Service agreed to withdraw approval of the project.

Group Challenges Permit for Oil Pipeline in National Forest

Miningjournal.net (January 15) - The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit that accuses the US Forest Service of breaking the law when it granted a new permit for an underground oil pipeline in a Michigan national forest without conducting an environmental analysis.

The suit focuses on section of the pipeline that goes through part of the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Oscoda County, in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. A US Forest Service special-use permit for that section expired in 2012.

The Forest Service issued another permit last month, even though it hadn't prepared an environmental analysis. The National Environmental Policy Act requires US agencies in most cases to perform one of two types of investigations to determine how an important action will affect the environment.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Smokey Bear on ice

An 8-foot-tall Smokey Bear ice sculpture competed in the 31st annual North American Snow
Festival and took top prize in the Business/Organization category. The sculpture was carved on
evenings and weekends over a two-week period by seven Michigan Department of Natural
Resources employees and five Huron-Manistee National Forest employees. In early February,
Forest Service employee Jae Naugle and state employee Todd Neiss presented the $500 prize
money to a local family. The money will go toward the purchase of a service dog for their 3-year-old daughter, who has Dravet Syndrome.

The Chief's Notes

[Ron Scott]

Chippewa National Forest's Marcell Ranger Station Exemplifies 1930s National Parks Service Architecture

Minnpost.com (March 24) - Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1934 and 1935, the Marcell Ranger Station exemplifies the core principles of the National Park Service's architectural philosophy: minimalist construction and use of native materials

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

PROTECT OUR NATIONAL FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES!

Nearly 60 million acres of our National Forests are at risk of increasingly destructive wildfires and experts agree the situation is getting worse each year. These unnatural fires have taken lives and caused enormous property losses, and had profound impacts to our forested ecosystems including serious soil erosion, watershed destabilization, wildlife habitat loss, astonishing carbon emissions, and serious social and economic impacts to many communities throughout the American West.

The good news it is that the U.S. Forest Service knows what is needed to turn this situation around. Taking a science-based approach to thinning our overly dense forests and reducing fuels results in a healthier and more resilient forest, far more resistant to wildfire and disease. So that when fire occurs, firefighters are able to protect communities and minimize extreme impacts to the land. The Forest Service has a proven track record when both the tools and resources have been made available to them, and especially when working with local groups of citizens with varied interests who come together to resolve fire related issues and work together to get results. These collaborative efforts have demonstrably and successfully protected forests and communities.

So what's the problem? The problem is only about 2-3 per cent of the huge area at risk is being treated each year. Why? Because the sheer multitude of laws, regulations, and a 25 year deluge of appeals and lawsuits to block projects to thin dense forests and reduce fuels hazards in the forest have led to bureaucratic processes that are shockingly dysfunctional to reasonable people. Today, it is possible for communities and agency professionals to work 2-3 years to design a project only to have one outside person or group file a lawsuit and stop it in its tracks. And if they win even one minor point on a technicality the government actually pays them for their expenses!  Meanwhile, the consequences of delayed or cancelled projects can be very serious.

Congress is prepared to help by providing the Forest Service the tools they need, empowering the use of collaborative groups with carefully balanced and thoughtful legislation, HR 2647, the "Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015" . The bill reduces incentives to file lawsuits. It streamlines the approval process while still protecting the forest and provides for reforestation so our grandchildren can enjoy forests and not brush fields in the future. It's an important step forward. You may hear the typical, universal fears from a few environmentalists stuck in the drama of the last century, who think the status quo is just fine. They will predict the usual ecological Armageddon!  Don't believe it. It's pretty low risk to have professional land managers working alongside diverse community groups.  But the risks created by inaction are proven and substantial.

Congress must also solve the problem of funding for disaster response to large fires in the same way we pay for hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters, without raiding other Forest Service programs such as recreation, wildlife, and even fuels reduction and thinning projects designed to protect communities. Passage of the proposed Wildfire Disaster Funding Act or something similar would fix that. Congress should act on both of these crucial problems or we are certain to continue to lose a lot more of our treasured National Forests and rural communities.

Jim Golden, Chair
National Association of Forest Service Retirees

The National Association of Forest Service Retirees (NAFSR) is composed of men and women who spent their careers involved with protecting, developing and managing our Nation's National Forests and Grasslands, conducting research and development, and involved in state and private forestry and international forestry activities with many partners at home and around the World.

Jim Golden retired from the Forest Service in 2007

[Ron Scott]

Forest Service Seeks Public Comment on a Proposed Policy for Training and Certification of Use of Saws by Forest Service Employees, Volunteers

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public comment on a proposal that would establish a national policy providing consistent oversight and training on the use of saws by employees, consultants and volunteers on lands managed by the agency. The proposal does not apply to groups including contractors, special use permit holders or private firewood cutters.

"Our first priority is safety," said Leslie Weldon, deputy chief for the agency's National Forest System. "The proposed national policy would ensure that our employees and partners are trained consistently, to help us complete critical work on our national forests in a safe manner."

Since the 1970s, the agency's nine regions have developed policies concerning employee and partner use of chain saws and crosscut saws, which are often used for trail maintenance activities and other work on national forests. The proposed national policy would create a national saw program and standardize instruction, knowledge and skill requirements for all Forest Service sawyers. The policy would also provide consistent national direction on the training, certification and safe use of chainsaws and crosscut saws by Forest Service employees, volunteers, partners, and training consultants who work on National Forest System lands.

[gimpy]

PROTECT OUR NATIONAL FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES!

Living in Oregon and into the current fire season, it's hard to read such headlines.

[Ron Scott]

Environmentalists Sue over Tree-Cutting Plan in Beetle-Killed Forest

MTStandard.com (August 7) - The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council filed suit against the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Missoula federal court to stop tree cutting on approximately 40,000 acres of forest east of Deer Lodge.

The Forest Service plan to cut the trees is part of a restoration effort that began in 2006 to restore beetle-damaged forest at the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.

The E-Forester

[beenthere]

And so it goes, on and on. The Forest Service is pre-empted again. Fifty years of this and no one should wonder why our public forests are in such poor condition.  The taxpayers' pay the Foresters to just fill a chair at a desk...

[Ron Scott]

And we wonder why we are having such fierce forest fires with the heavily added fuel load of dying, diseased, and bug infested timber.

[Ron Scott]

Minnesota: There's a Plan to Trade Some BWCAW Land-and It Got a Lot of People Upset

Bringmethenews.com (August 25) - The state of Minnesota and the US Forest Service have been in talks for years on a land swap concerning the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

They want to trade ownership of thousands of acres of land in northern Minnesota, to solve a decades-old land management issue. But concerns about what will happen to the land after the trade prompted the Forest Service to conduct an environmental review on the land swap proposal.

The E-Forester

[beenthere]

Here is a link to a bit more info on the subject, including who wants what in the lands trade and sales.
Not the latest, but from a few months ago.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/11/bwca-land-swap

[Ron Scott]

Forest Service Already Pulling Firefighting Money from Other Programs

Magicvalley.com (September 7) - The US Forest Service has already surpassed its $1.011 billion wildfire-fighting budget and is drawing hundreds of millions from other programs to cover the cost.

As of Friday (September 4), the Forest Service has spent $1.23 billion on firefighting this year, said Jennifer Jones, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. With 40 uncontained wildfires burning in the West and above-average fire potential predicted in some areas of the Northwest through the end of September, Jones said the cost is likely to keep going up.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

USDA Forest Service Seek Vendors for Wildfire Support

(Silver City, NM - December 5) - U.S. Forest Service Southwestern Region announced an information meeting on 1/7/16 for vendors interested in providing fire engines and water tenders with trained operators to support wildfire operations during the course of a three-year agreement.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

US Forest Service Looking to Hire More Women Wildland Firefighters

(Fresno, CA - December 8) - The U.S. Forest Service just completed the training of a group of 25 women at a wildland fire training camp in Los Padres National Forest in an effort to bridge the gender gap on the firelines.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Stay overnight at the Squaw Mountain fire lookout

Guests looking for a unique experience are able to rent out the Squaw Mountain fire lookout tower on the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests. The lookout is two stories; the glass-enclosed second floor is where the fire lookouts would scout for fires. The fire lookout contains a complete kitchen that includes dishes, pots and pans. Guests need to hike a bit to get to the lookout; the parking area is a mile away in summer and almost two miles during winter months. Guests are rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding Rockies.

The Chief's Notes

[Ron Scott]

Helicopters To Drop Wood Mulch On Scorched Oregon Land

(Baker City, OR – March 14) – A Mountain West Helicopters chopper is dropping hundreds of tons of wood mulch on 88 acres of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest burned by the Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Sierra Pacific Buys 7.8 Million Board Feet of Federal Timber

(Arcata, CA – March 11) – Sierra Pacific Industries has purchased more than 7.8 million board feet of timber in the Six Rivers National Forest for $604,107 as part of the Kelsey Peak Timber Sale and Fuelbreak Project.

The E-Forester

[Clark]

Minnesota: There's a Plan to Trade Some BWCAW Land-and It Got a Lot of People Upset

Bringmethenews.com (August 25) - The state of Minnesota and the US Forest Service have been in talks for years on a land swap concerning the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

They want to trade ownership of thousands of acres of land in northern Minnesota, to solve a decades-old land management issue. But concerns about what will happen to the land after the trade prompted the Forest Service to conduct an environmental review on the land swap proposal.

The E-Forester

To make this entire thing more unbelievable the USFS acquired land in the Kabetogama Purchase Unit (76,800 acres) and the Pigeon River Purchase Unit (12,600 acres ) when the BWCA was created. Both of these are entirely out of the BWCA. It was designed to be land that would be traded with the state for their land within the BWCA. So the USFS has had the land to do a swap for over 40 years and it sits there, being lightly managed because the attitude at the local USFS ranger district (at least for the Kabetogama unit) is that it could be gone tomorrow.

Clark

[enigmaT120]

Sierra Pacific Buys 7.8 Million Board Feet of Federal Timber

(Arcata, CA – March 11) – Sierra Pacific Industries has purchased more than 7.8 million board feet of timber in the Six Rivers National Forest for $604,107 as part of the Kelsey Peak Timber Sale and Fuelbreak Project.

The E-Forester

I must be doing the arithmetic wrong.  Is that less than a dollar per thousand board feet?

Edit:  never mind, it looks more like 77 dollars per.  I've never seen standing timber prices but having a vague idea of logging prices tells me that's probably fair.

[Ron Scott]

Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan's U.P.

Lighting the way

Situated on Round Island in the Straits of Mackinac and along the ferry route to Mackinac Island
Historic Park, Round Island Lighthouse is easily the most-viewed historic structure on Hiawatha
National Forest. The forest is thrilled to announce that last week a crew of historic structures
experts and engineers made the difficult passage to the little island in order to inventory the maritime
structure. The data gathered will be compiled into a historic structures report, which will assist
the agency and partners involved in management and grant writing for restoration of the lighthouse.

The Chief's Notes

[Ron Scott]

Forest Service rolls out web Visitor Map 2.0

On June 27, the Forest Service released a next-generation interactive visitor map. Visitor Map 2.0 provides the public with an online view of Forest Service roads, trails and recreation sites. The map is fully functional with personal computers, mobile phones and tablet devices using any modern web browser. A key aspect of the new map is inclusion of geo-located Twitter inputs from agency accounts to give field units an additional way of providing local, real-time content to the public through a map interface. In addition, Visitor Map 2.0 displays crowd-sourced imagery from other social networks such as Yonder. This feature allows the public to share their outdoor experiences with each other as well as with the Forest Service. All of these map features align with the agency's strategic objective of Connecting People to the Outdoors. You can learn more about Visitor Map 2.0 on the Forest Service website.

The Chief's Notes

[Ron Scott]

K9 Ice returns to light duty

K9 Ice returned to light duty and was able to visit many of his admirers at the Six Rivers National Forest supervisor's office. Last month, while conducting a raid of an illegal marijuana garden on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the dog was stabbed by a suspect he was apprehending. Despite multiple stab wounds to the chest and muzzle, Ice remained on the suspect until taken into custody. The dog is expected to be on light duty for at least a couple more weeks, when he will begin physical therapy to ensure full use and mobility of his left shoulder and leg.

[Ron Scott]

Logging OK'd on 40, Acres in N. Idaho

        (Boise, ID - September 6) - A federal judge found nothing wrong with the U.S. Forest
        Service's approval of the 40,000-acre Lost Creek-Boulder Creek Landscape
        Restoration logging project in northern Idaho, despite environmentalists' claims that
        it could hurt native trout.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/09/06/logging-okd-on-40-000-acres-in-n-idaho.htm

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Helicopter removes logs from forest

Helicopter logging near Buttercup Campground and Snow Summit took place on San Bernardino National Forest's Mountaintop Ranger District Nov. 8–11. This marks the second year of using a helicopter to selectively thin stands as part of a fuels reduction and forest health project. A contracted helicopter flew logs out of the thinning area, adjacent to Big Bear Lake, due to steep terrain that kept standard hauling equipment from reaching the area.

The Chief's Notes