County enters agreement for future forestry work
The North Kellogg Project site, outlined in red, is where the IDL plans to conduct hazard fuel treatment work on non-federal lands with the intended goal of reducing wildfire risk for area residents.
Courtesy image
WALLACE — The Shoshone Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) entered the county into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Idaho Department of Lands earlier this week regarding a grant designed to fund forest work on various non-federal lands within the county.
The $240,000 grant is designated for the North Kellogg Project, where IDL plans to conduct hazard fuel treatment work on non-federal lands with the intended goal of reducing wildfire risk for area residents. This will be done by establishing community fuelbreaks and expanding upon work previously completed in the project area.
As stated in the MOU, the project will require agreements between IDL and the private landowners within the project area, where the current plan is to develop specific project guidelines for each landowner so they are aware of the goings on with their property.
Mechanical or hand treatment methods will be used to thin standing timber by removing standing, down dead timber and ladder fuels; thinning and removing underbrush.
Ladder fuel is a firefighting term for live or dead vegetation that allows a fire to climb up from the landscape or forest floor into the tree canopy.
Slash will be burned, utilized for firewood or chipped as potential hog fuel.
Hog fuel is a type of fuel made from the unprocessed waste debris, bark and organic matter produced as a result of commercial forestry, and is used to power things like boilers and dryers at industrial forestry facilities.
The grant requires a 10% match from the county, either in total dollars or in-kind services which can include labor and equipment — meaning that Shoshone County will be responsible for $24,000 in some form or fashion during the project.
The project focuses on lands directly north, south and east of the cities of Kellogg and Wardner.
“Projects of this type are always welcomed,” said BOCC Chairman Mike Fitzgerald. “When implemented, these projects place money on the ground, locally. And, when completed, they greatly reduce the risk of wildfire to our community.”