March 22, 2024 HFHC News Round Up

New Agreement Expands Support for Wildfire Crisis Strategy (NWTF)
The National Wild Turkey Federation is pleased to announce a new Participating Agreement with the USDA Forest Service, marking a significant step in bolstering efforts to continue the great work that is being accomplished through the Master Stewardship Agreement. This collaboration is crucial as escalating wildfire challenges demand a unified and strategic response.

Murky deadline looms for Biden’s regs (Greenwire/Politico Pro)
Federal agencies know they’re in a race against the clock to complete President Joe Biden’s most consequential energy and environmental regulations. The problem is no one knows how much time they have left. At issue is the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to void rules after they’re finalized by the executive branch. Years of work to craft regulations can be nixed within days if simple majorities in the House and Senate support a resolution of disapproval — and the president signs on. Biden can veto the measures, as he has been for those targeting his administration’s rules. But if he loses his reelection bid, former President Donald Trump could repeat what he did when he was last in the White House: slashing regulations left and right after they’re delivered on his desk by Republican lawmakers, if they take control of Capitol Hill next year.

Statement on NPS and USFWS final EIS for restoring grizzly bears to the North Cascades (WDFW)
Today, the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that identifies the preferred alternative to reintroduce grizzly bear into the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, including North Cascades National Park. The action alternative includes establishment of an experimental population under section 10j of the Endangered Species Act.  A determination on the 10j rule and the final record of decision on the EIS will be released at another date. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) worked with these federal partners in the EIS process, contributing technical assistance and local expertise that helped scope and evaluate the proposed alternatives and possible impacts. If the federal entities move forward to implement their preferred alternative, WDFW will work with them to respond to human-grizzly bear conflict that may arise as well as support scientific monitoring and outreach to local communities and recreationists.

Flathead Forest road building is harming grizzlies and bull trout, judge says (MTPR)
Road-building in the Flathead National Forest is harming threatened grizzly bears and bull trout, according to a federal judge. This is the second time the court has ruled against the U.S. Forest Service. In 2019, the U.S. District Court ruled that the Forest Service wasn’t properly decommissioning logging roads. That led to continued use of those roads, harming grizzly bears and bull trout. The Forest Service revised some rules for commissioning roads in response, but environmental groups sued again. They argue the forest service’s actions didn’t change anything on the ground and led to the approval of new roads. The court agreed, but also said the current rules for road-building will remain in place while the agency makes changes.

Jewell School District sues state over habitat conservation plan (Daily Astorian)
The Jewell School District has filed a lawsuit against the Oregon state forester and the Oregon Department of Forestry over the habitat conservation plan. The plan, which was approved this month by the Oregon Board of Forestry, was developed to help the state stay in compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act and designates protected habitat areas across roughly 640,000 acres of state forests. Under the plan, Clatsop County could lose up to 35% of its timber revenue due to a reduction in timber harvests on state forestland and stands to be the most financially impacted of any county in the state. The Jewell School District has historically been funded by state timber revenue, which has supported district staffing, academic programs and extracurricular and sports programs for the rural school. Under the plan, that funding is anticipated to be slashed in half. Although the state school funding formula accounts for changes in revenue, concerns remain about the small district’s future.

Portland International Airport’s new terminal is the largest sustainable mass timber project in the US. Here’s how it came together (KGW)
Christy Fiander has been around timber since she was a kid. As a member of Yakama Nation, she cultivated a reverence for the towering trees that grow in central Washington. “When I was a young child, my grandfather was the first Native American, Yakama-owned logging business,” she said. Now, Fiander is the resource manager for Yakama Forest Products, and her connection to the trees has only grown. “Most of our people here on this reservation, we utilize this forest not only for recreation but a lot for gathering foods and medicines,” she said. Yakama Forest Products was one of a handful of suppliers who contributed wood to the new terminal being constructed at Portland International Airport, touted as the largest sustainable mass timber project in the country.

Future funding for Oregon wildfires still up in the air (Axios)
As wildfire season approaches, the Oregon Department of Forestry faces ongoing budgetary concerns after lawmakers failed to pass any additional funding for the agency during the short legislative session. Why it matters: Fighting wildfires is expensive and largely unpredictable largely unpredictable. Oregon has yet to find a sustainable method for funding fire protection and suppression, even as wildfires are likely to become larger and more volatile because of climate change. Between the lines: Wildfire costs routinely exceed ODF’s budget, a problem both lawmakers and fire officials have cited in seeking a remedy.

Cougar Divide Fuels Reduction Project set to begin mechanical thinning (USDA Forest Service)
The South Park Ranger District on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands will implement the Cougar Divide Fuels Reduction Project in support of the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The specific area of this project is approximately 230 acres of National Forest lands along Forest Road 223 west of County Road 77, about seven miles north of Lake George in Park County, Colorado. The project is scheduled to begin the week of March 18 and is expected to last approximately two months. The primary goal of the project is to reduce the intensity of fire behavior and increase the likelihood of successful fire suppression during critical conditions adjacent to private lands and along potential control lines. Another important goal is increasing the resistance to epidemic levels of mountain pine beetle and other pests. All thinning will be mechanized.  Many of these areas will be prescribed burned in the future to reduce surface fuel loading and reduce fire intensity.

Harnessing distributed collaboration for forest restoration (ESRI)
Northern California is recovering after wildfire damage to the region’s national forests. The United States Forest Service is proposing a restoration plan for the affected areas, but the agency needs accurate data to assess the level of damage. The Forest Service is relying on residents to act as data collectors and help organization members gather necessary information about tree conditions. In the story I’ll set up a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and a nonprofit organization called the D&J Forestry Initiative.

Bristol lumber mill hurt by changing times (Addison Independent)
For more than eight decades, the A. Johnson Company’s Bristol lumber mill rang with the sounds of logs being sawed, sorted and sold to customers. Things are quieter at the site off Route 116 lately, as the company permanently closed its lumber mill this past November and wrapped up retail sales the following month. The decision to do so followed a particularly difficult year for the business, and the forest products industry as a whole, in 2023. General Manager and co-owner Ken Johnson acknowledged that the mid-sized manufacturer of boards simply lost a “technological arms race” to bigger or more specialized lumber companies. While the closure of the mill marks a major change for the 117-year-old A. Johnson Company, it is also the beginning of a new chapter. The company plans to repurpose its mill site and will continue managing the forestland it owns, as well as promoting sustainable forestry and the benefits of timber harvesting.

Rosboro invests in new GLT factory in Springfield, Oregon (Lesprom)
Stiles Machinery, in collaboration with Kallesoe, and System TM announces that Rosboro, North America’s largest producer of glued-laminated timber (GLT), has chosen the Homag Group members to deliver mass timber solutions for their new GLT factory in Springfield, Oregon, USA. Brian Wells, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development of Rosboro, says, “The distributors who carry Rosboro’s flagship X-Beam stock glulam and other Rosboro Engineered Wood Products are the premier EWP distributors in their markets. They rely on us to supply a steady stream of high-quality, cost-effective framing solutions.  We are making this investment to ensure that our partners can continue to grow their successful X-Beam programs for many years to come.”

On International Day of Forests, IP Shows How Landowners Use Controlled Burns To Promote Healthy Forests That Withstand Wildfires, Help Wildlife (3BL)
On International Day of Forests, International Paper (IP) and longtime partner the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) celebrate landowners across the U.S. South that manage non-industrial private forests with controlled burns that help create thriving habitats, safer communities and more resilient forests. The Forestland Stewards Partnership, a longtime collaboration between IP and NFWF, provides grants to on-the-ground partners to help landowners improve forest management practices and enhance the economic and ecological functions of working forests. One way that NFWF and IP help foster healthy, flourishing forests is by supporting controlled burns and encouraging participation by private landowners. These controlled burns help reduce potential wildfire fuel, such as dead wood and debris, resulting in forests that are more wildfire-resistant.

R99 Renewable Diesel: Sustainability In Log Truck Fleets (Freres Wood)
Our commitment to sustainability took a significant leap forward as our fleet of 13 log trucks made the switch from B5 biodiesel to R99 renewable diesel. This change works toward greener operations, operational excellence and environmental stewardship. R99 alleviates most of the issues that were present with the biodiesel blend we were using to power our log truck fleet. R99, unlike biodiesel, is hydrogenated, meaning the oxygen molecules are removed during the refining process. This is a significant advantage for storage and cold weather performance.

Vermont County forester Ethan Tapper receives national award (Vermont Biz)
Ethan Tapper, a Chittenden County forester with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, has been named the 2024 National Tree Farm Inspector of the Year by the American Tree Farm System, a nationwide alliance of 74,000 family forest landowners dedicated to the sustainable management of 19 million acres. In Vermont, the Tree Farm System is sponsored by the Vermont Woodlands Association, with 440 landowners and over 133,000 acres enrolled in the program. These landowners, known as “tree farmers,” commit to managing their forests to prioritize wildlife habitat, clean water and recreation, while sustainably producing forest products. As part of this initiative, numerous Vermont county foresters, including Tapper, serve as tree farm inspectors, actively supporting and encouraging landowner participation in the program. This collaborative gives Vermont’s woodland owners the tools they need to be good stewards of the land.