July 26, 2024 HFHC News Round Up
Steve Wilent: Why are Wildfires Getting Bigger and Badder? (The Woodsman’s Take)
Our wildfire problem, which is primarily in the Western US, isn’t small and it isn’t new. “The problem didn’t develop in the last 10 to 15 years,” said Chief Bosworth in his 2002 speech. “It took generations to develop. For most of the last century, we focused on removing big trees and suppressing all fires. In the process, we altered the land.” Bosworth meant that we humans altered our forests. Can we alter them again, manage them, to reduce the risk of large destructive wildfires and leave forests that are healthier and more resilient? Yes. We need to do something, since not only are millions of acres at risk, but so are millions of homes, businesses, and human lives. Numerous government agencies, private landowners, and others are taking action. Earlier this year, Randy Moore, Chief of the US Forest Service, told Congress that his agency aims to treat 4 million acres in the coming year, if funding is available—a small fraction of the 193 million acres the agency manages.
Editorial: BLM’s new rule a waste of paper (Capital Press)
Is the Bureau of Land Management’s new Conservation and Landscape Health Rule a nefarious effort by the administration to lock up more federal land and keep it out of the hands of resource developers? Or is it just another election-year effort to curry favor with environmentalists? Either way, the rule appears to wander far afield of the BLM’s main job as the federal government’s landlord. President Harry Truman created the BLM in 1946 by merging the Grazing Service with the General Land Office. Then, in 1976, Congress wrote the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which defines the BLM’s mission as maintaining multiple uses on the vast tracts of land the federal government owns.
Idaho Drastically Needs a Change in Wildfire Management (KLIX)
Cliff Bentz, the 72-year-old Republican who represents the people on the common sense side of the state, blames forest management policies that have been promoted by Lefty and Greenies. That’s why the land they claim to love is going up in flames. The same policies are in place here, and with another round of thunderstorms on the way, our chances increase for new fires and the serious threat one or more could get out of control.
Forest Service to hold virtual meeting on Central Washington Wildfire Prevention Initiative (Quad City Herald)
Federal and state officials will host a virtual community meeting on July 30 to discuss the ongoing Central Washington Initiative, a comprehensive effort to reduce wildfire risks and promote forest health across the region. The initiative, announced in 2022, is part of a broader national strategy to address the growing wildfire crisis in the American West. It combines elements of the National Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Washington House Bill 1168. Over the past two years, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, in collaboration with the Washington Department of Natural Resources and other partners, has been implementing measures to create more resilient landscapes and communities in the face of changing wildfire conditions.
BNF ups logging to reduce risk of possible fires (Greybull Standard)
The Bighorn National Forest is a treasured destination for summer travelers who come to experience the bountiful groves of lodgepole pines, towering peaks along with numerous rivers and streams revered by trout fishing enthusiasts. Visitors this summer can expect that serenity to be occasionally interrupted by the sound of tree cutters and logging trucks. The forest service has ramped up a campaign to harvest timber and reduce hazardous fuel loads in the face of growing wildfire risk. It is part of the Tie Flume Project, a comprehensive management plan designed to bolster resilience in one of the forest’s most popular areas, where views of Black Mountain and the Twin Buttes as well as accessible stretches along the Tongue River have become an international draw. Forest managers say the Tie Plume initiative is designed to to minimize risk by mimicking natural forest fire dynamics.
Numerous homes destroyed as arson-triggered Park Fire reaches over 165,000 acres in California (Fox Weather)
A massive wildfire that is burning homes and neighborhoods just outside Chico, California, continues to explode in size Friday as firefighters work to tame the flames and police investigate a suspected arsonist accused of starting the blaze in a bizarre event. The Park Fire began in Bidwell Park just before 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday. It quickly reached nearly 6,500 acres by Wednesday night, as local officials scrambled to get threatened residents to safety, according to CAL Fire in Butte County. The fire has since grown to nearly 165,000 acres and remains only 3% contained.
Alaska Claims US Lands Rule Violates Major Questions Doctrine (Bloomberg)
The Bureau of Land Management’s new rule defining conservation as a “use” of land violates the major questions doctrine and several public lands laws, the state of Alaska claims in lawsuit filed Wednesday. The state is asking a court to toss out the BLM’s Public Lands Rule, which was finalized in May and took effect in June. The rule defines conservation as a use under the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act and makes it easier for the Interior Department to protect sensitive lands as “areas of critical environmental concern,” or ACECs. (Subscription Required)
Here’s where candidates for WA lands commissioner stand on key issues (Seattle Times)
The race to be named the top boss of the state’s public lands is getting crowded with five Democrats and two Republicans on the ticket. The primary is less than two weeks away with ballots arriving on voters’ doorsteps. The candidates’ views align on some issues, such as building on progress made to wildfire response and preparedness. They differ on how to manage cutting and selling lumber from state forests that support public funding. No one person or entity, other than the federal government, has more influence over Washington’s landscape than the state lands commissioner, who presides over about 6 million acres of the state’s forest, range, agricultural, aquatic and commercial lands — with firefighting responsibilities covering 13 million acres of public and private land. Current Commissioner Hilary Franz announced last year she would not seek a third term and instead pursue higher office. In the Aug. 6 primary, voters will narrow the field to two candidates, who will then face off in November.
How climate change is remaking this top WA job (Seattle Times)
The state’s top job overseeing public lands has become more complicated in recent years, as drought and warm weather stoke wildfires and debate intensifies over the benefit of Washington’s forest in the fight against climate change. Unlike nearly every other state, it’s an elected position, and this Aug. 6 primary will shrink the field of seven candidates to two. The commissioner for public lands, who was paid a salary of about $166,000 in 2024, oversees the state Department of Natural Resources, which has around 1,300 permanent employees and an operating budget of about $245 million. The race heated up after Commissioner Hilary Franz announced she wouldn’t seek a third term. Here is what the job of commissioner of public lands actually entails.
State Forests Annual Operations Plan for timber sales finalized after robust public comment period (ODF)
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) finalized its Annual Operations Plans (AOP) that describe the variety of projects planned for state forests for the 2025 fiscal year. These include planned timber sales for each district; recreation projects, such as the installation of a bridge; or other types of forest projects, such as stream enhancement or restoration projects. ODF received 1,061 written comments during the 45-public comment period that was open from April 3-May 17.
Conflict brewing for WMNF timber project (Conway Daily Sun)
Per the White Mountain National Forest’s Saco District ranger, a timber sale project is now being advertised in Sandwich and Albany. Meanwhile, environmental groups are weighing their options to stop or modify the project. Saco District Ranger Jim Innes signed off on the Sandwich Range Project on June 28. It involves timber harvesting/cutting in three areas of the White Mountain National Forest totaling about 638 acres and two controlled burns on about 300 acres. Area 1 is called Guinea Hill in Sandwich. There will be tree cutting, clear-cutting and a controlled burn. The second area is near Ferncroft Road in Albany and involves cutting in a fraction of an acre or two-acre groups. The third area is in Albany near the Liberty trailhead and will have tree cutting, clear cutting and a prescribed burn.
Candor, optimism from BLM chief (Daily Sentinel)
Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning started a conversation with the Sentinel Editorial Board on Tuesday by saying she was “grateful” for this newspaper’s coverage of the agency she oversees. The Sentinel follows the agency’s work “closer than anybody in the West,” she said, adding, “I think our democracy would be better served if we had this kind of coverage in other communities that are so dependent on BLM management.” This editorial board has been fortunate to have met with several BLM directors and Interior secretaries over the years. These conversations are always fascinating and instructive, none more so than hearing from Stone-Manning at a time when the entire federal government apparatus has put the BLM at an inflection point. Stone-Manning covered a wide range of locally relevant topics, as reported in Wednesday’s paper by the Sentinel’s Dennis Webb. But we were struck by her thoughts on the efforts the agency has initiated over the past few years to make BLM lands more resilient in the face of climate change and pressures from its multiple-use mandate.
Does carbon-free mean carbon-neutral? Activists, industry fight over details in new Minnesota energy law (Sahan Journal)
Environmental justice advocates are pushing back on proposals to include trash incinerators and wood biomass plants as carbon-free energy sources under a new state law that aims to make Minnesota power 100% carbon-free by 2040. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a governor-appointed board that regulates utility providers, is collecting input on what should count as carbon-free energy and has received comments from utility companies, the forestry industry and state agencies suggesting that greenhouse gas emitting sources like waste-to-energy incinerators and wood biomass burning plants should be included. For several environmental groups and lawmakers, those suggestions are alarming and go against the intent of the law. The law defines carbon-free sources as those that generate electricity “without emitting carbon dioxide,” which would include sources like wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power.
As Vermont loses its ash trees, towns race to stop the beetle that’s the culprit (VTdigger)
Vermont’s environmental experts are imagining a future without ash trees — and that future isn’t far away. It’s all because the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from Asia, is destroying ash trees from the inside out. The beetles’ larvae burrow into and feed on inner layers of bark, damaging the system trees use to transport water and nutrients throughout their branches and leaves. The beetles, commonly referred to as EAB, have been reported in 72 municipalities across 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties, according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. But the map of detections is on its way “from looking like Swiss cheese, with little pockets of infestations, to being completely covered,” said Elise Schadler, program manager for the department’s Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program.
Myth Busters: Learn the Facts about the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (USDA)
The Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) provides technical and financial assistance to owners of nonindustrial private forestland whose forestland was damaged by a qualifying natural disaster event. As an agricultural program specialist at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), I’ve had the chance to work with producers and FSA employees on how programs like EFRP can improve the profitability, efficiency, and resiliency of an agricultural operation. EFRP can provide crucial assistance to producers after a natural disaster, but there are a few “myths” about the program that I want to dispel.
America Tightens Grip on Chinese Furniture via Vietnam & Malaysia (Woodcentral)
The United States government is cracking down on the swell of wooden cabinets, vanities, and components (otherwise known as WCV) entering American ports from Malaysia and Vietnam (via China). Last week, the Department of Commerce upheld a preliminary ruling, confirming that WCV products entering the United States must be covered by an antidumping and countervailing duty (or AD/CVD) – with the department looking to introduce a new certification regime to ensure compliance with rulings.
USDA announces $190M grant opportunity for payment programs that help private forest landowners address climate change (USDA Forest Service)
Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is making $190 million available to help private forest landowners adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change and retain working forestlands. This new investment, announced today at the University of Maine’s Investing in America Town Hall, was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act – part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the largest climate investment in history.
Weyerhaeuser acquires 84,300 acres of high-quality timberlands in Alabama (Lesprom)
Weyerhaeuser Company announced acquisitions totaling 84,300 acres of high-quality timberlands in Alabama for $244 million. Secured through multiple transactions, the collective acreage is comprised of mature, highly productive timberlands that are well-integrated with existing Weyerhaeuser operations. Additionally, the acquisitions are expected to deliver portfolio-leading cash flow and harvest tons per acre within the company’s Southern Timberlands business.
Using Fire Management to See How Ticks…Tick (Newswise)
The morning alarm goes off, and it’s time to get ready for work. Ph.D. student Samuel Gilvarg has already pretreated his clothes with permethrin insecticide. All that’s left is to pull his socks up and over his pant legs. This routine is a daily occurrence this summer for Gilvarg and his seven interns from the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) to keep them safe while collecting data on the local tick population. Gilvarg has spent the past two summers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory trying to understand how tick populations react to wildland fires. These are naturally-fueled vegetation fires that include both classic wildfires and prescribed burning, in which humans use fire as a management tool.
Amended Law Eases Path for Mass Timber Schools in Michigan (MSU)
If you’re designing a mass timber school in Michigan, the approvals process has recently become more straightforward. The State has updated an old statute—Act 306 of 1937—that some building code officials had interpreted as in conflict with the Michigan Building Code (MBC) when it comes to mass timber in schools. The old version of the code specified only the use of “fire resisting materials”—including steel and concrete, but not wood—for school construction. Michigan enacted the out-of-date statute at a time before the commercialization of mass timber materials like cross-laminated timber and glulam, which research has since proven have excellent fire resistance properties
