Transforming Forest Health in Idaho & Montana Tom Schultz, VP Government Affairs

Our Mission

“To enhance the lives and

livelihoods of our employees,

customers, partners and the

communities in which we operate

by providing the earth’s best

renewable building products.”

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A Glimpse at IFG’s Impact in 2018

• 1050 team members with an additional 2,000+ contractors assisting business.

• Wages across the company were $70 million

• Over $2 million paid in taxes within Idaho, Montana, and Washington states

• 143,553 truck loads delivered to IFG facilities. That equates to trucks lined up end to end from Coeur d’Alene to Pittsburgh, PA!

• IFG supports charitable organizations that provide educational and arts and cultural opportunities and youth activities in Idaho and Montana, enhancing the communities where our employees live and raise families.

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Overview

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Overview

We’re going to discuss:

• Health and mortality in Idaho and Montana’s

forests

• Why forest health matters

• How we can restore our forests and how long it

will take to make an impact

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Overview

Today’s Inland Northwest forests are not the same forests that

existed before European settlement.

Their ecology has been altered by:

• Fire suppression

• Historically unsustainable harvest methods, without replanting

• Introduction of White Pine Blister Rust and other invasive species

• Climate change and drought

• These impacts have created more densely populated forests with dominant tree species that are less tolerant of fire and disease and are competing for limited resources.

• This has set the stage for an abundance of weak, malnourished trees that are susceptible to insect, disease, and catastrophic wildfire.

Overview

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-

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Volume of TimberHarvested (MBF)

Acres burned

U.S. Volume Harvested vs. U.S. Acres Burned in Wildfires 1980-2017

Fire

• 3 million acres burned in Idaho & Montana

• 85 people died

• Current stand conditions are now similar to the conditions prior to 1910

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1910 Fire:

Overview

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MortalityFireOverstocked/Weakened Stands

Insects and Disease

Insects & Disease

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NIDRM

• 28% of Idaho’s treed acres are at risk – ranked 1st nationally for percentage of acres at risk.

• 21% of Montana’s treed acres are at risk – ranked 3rd nationally for its percentage of acres at risk. Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest

493,809

4,857,385

998,833

206,624

1,081,556

223,811

Idaho

State LandsUSFS-Non WildernessWilderness AreasBLMPrivateOther Ownerships

Treed Acres at Risk of >25% Basal Area Loss 2013-2027

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258,191

4,955,281

974,152

180,406

877,950

409,578

MontanaTotal: 7,862,018 Total: 7,655,558

Insects & Disease

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“The warming climate has

allowed beetles to hang on,

reproduce faster—multiple

broods in a year—and access

trees at higher elevations that

used to be resistant because of

the cold,’ says Carl Seielstad, a

fire expert at the University of

Montana in Missoula.”

Washington Post, January 29, 2019

Beetle Gallery Root Rot

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/gone-in-a-generation/forest-climate-change.html?utm_term=.3f4e862dafc6#forest. Published January 29, 2019.

Fire

Fire

According to the US Forest

Service, almost 70% of federal forests

need some sort of fuels restoration

treatment, which may include:

• Harvest

• Thinning

• Prescribed fire

• Replanting

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Clearwater Complex, near Kamiah, 2015

Fire

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MO

NT

AN

AID

AH

O

0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1400000 1600000 1800000 2000000

Beaverhead-Deerlodge

Bitterroot

Kootenai

Lolo

Flathead

Idaho Panhandle

Boise

Nez Perce-Clearwater

Payette

Burned Acres on National Forests 1980-2018

Total Non-Wilderness, Non-Roadless Acres Total Burned Non-Wilderness, Non-Roadless Acres 1980-2018

Forest Health

Forest Health

One decade ago, mortality in the Intermountain Forest started to exceed growth.

What defines mortality?

Trees that DIED from natural causes:

• Fire

• Drought

• Insects and Disease

• Age

Tree mortality is measured as trees that died from natural causes within 5 years of the measurement date.

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Forest Health

19

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,00019

52

196

2

197

6

198

6

199

1

199

6

20

06

20

11

20

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Intermountain Region All Ownerships Softwoods, Growth, Removal, and Mortality (MCuFt)

Net Growth Removal Mortality

Created from FIA data

Intermountain Region refers to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Forest Health

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-500,000

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,00019

52

196

2

197

6

198

6

199

1

199

6

20

06

20

11

20

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Intermountain Region National Forests Softwoods, Growth, Removal and Mortality (Mcuft)

Net Growth Removal Mortality

Intermountain Region refers to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

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Forest Health: Federal Forests

Over the next 15 years, National Forests are at greatest risk of loss:

50% of treed acres are at risk and growth rates are declining.

Some forests are in critical situations:

• The Beaverhead-Deerlodge is set up for a catastrophic wildfire:• Mortality is far exceeding growth • Fires have only touched 3.6% of the non-wilderness, non roadless acres• Harvest has been around 26 MMBF

• The Payette keeps burning:• Only about 13% of the forest is non-wilderness, non-roadless acres• About an eighth of the acres have already burned• Mortality has surpassed growth

• The Panhandle is succumbing to disease:• There is a 50% risk of 25% basal area loss from insect and disease • Only 2.3% of the non-wilderness, non-roadless base has burned since 1980

Percent Change in Forest Growth, Removal, and Mortality 1991-2016

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Year Net growth Removals Mortality

1991 728,705 333,015 189,614

1996 793,597 247,041 274,016

2006 597,709 245,735 374,967

2011 417,388 257,803 612,835

2016 441,238 230,262 616,491

Percent Change

-39% -31% 225%

Year Net growth Removals Mortality

1991 607,168 258,529 182,289

1996 560,727 170,735 272,818

2006 469,731 197,889 386,900

2011 254,712 90,411 558,466

2016 54,778 102,171 662,369

Percent Change

-91% -60% 263%

Idaho Montana

Forest Health

Mortality is reducing the growth of the existing timber resource in Idaho and Montana over the last ten years.

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Idaho Montana

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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/gone-in-a-generation/forest-climate-change.html?utm_term=.3f4e862dafc6#forest. Published January 29, 2019.

“Montana is one of six states in the West where trees have

been emitting carbon in the past decade or so, according to

an analysis by David Cleaves, former climate change

adviser to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service.”

“The other states are Arizona, Colorado, Nevada,

Utah and Wyoming. Four of these states’ forests have

flipped in recent years to become carbon emitters—

with Montana showing the biggest changes of all.”

“Between 2000 and 2015, 14 million acres were damaged

by beetles and other pests or diseases, more than half of

the state’s total forested area.”

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0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

3.00%

3.50%

4.00%

4.50%

5.00%

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08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

17

Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by Ownership

USFS BLM State Private

-1.00%

-0.50%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

3.00%

3.50%

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

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Montana Net Growth as % of BF Volume by Ownership

USFS BLM State Private

Created from FIA data

The negative percentages mean that mortality is exceeding growth.

Forest Health

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-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

Montana, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest

Private Lands

Beaverhead

Bitterroot

Flathead

Kootenai

Lolo

Forest Health

-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest

Private Lands

Panhandle

Clearwater

Nez Perce

Boise

Payette

Forest Health

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Forest Health Summary

Why do we care about Mortality?

• Reduced timber supply

• Depleted carbon sequestration capacity

• Increased risk of catastrophic fire, smoke, and carbon emissions

• Degraded water quality, reduced water supply, and increased erosion

Transformation

Collaboration

Diverse stakeholder groups (tribes, industry, conservation, recreation, local government) using science to build consensus and take on forest projects that support economic, restoration, and conservation goals on priority landscapes.

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Idaho has 10 forest collaboratives that participate in the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership

Montana has 14 forest collaboratives, that participate in the Montana Forest Collaboration Network.

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Collaboration: Case Study

Clearwater Basin Collaborative

• Supported the development of science to guide forest restoration that

recognizes current forest conditions are significantly departed from natural

ranges of variation. The science enabled consensus amongst the CBC.

• With the support of the CBC, the forest has more than tripled it’s annual

timber sold volume since 2008, from about 35 MMBF to 120 MMBF a year.

• The CBC was awarded the USDA’s “Abraham Lincoln” award in 2015 for

“thoughtful and deliberative problem solving that resulted in accelerated

restoration and ecological, social and economic benefits for the citizens of

north-central Idaho”.

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Collaboration: Case Study

-2.00

-1.50

-1.00

-0.50

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Net Growth as % of BF Volume on Timberland, by National Forest (Idaho)

Clearwater Idaho Panhandle Nez Perce Boise Payette

Since the formation of the CBC, growth rates on the Clearwater National Forest have increased the most of any forest studied (+.77%) and mortality on the Nez Perce has slowed.

Good Neighbor Authority

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• GNA enables the Forest Service to partner

with the states to increase the pace and

scale of forest and watershed restoration

activities on federal forests.

• Designed to be self-funding over time,

through timber sale revenue which will

lead to increased restoration and

management in the forest.

• Allows knowledge sharing between state

and federal agencies.

GNA Snapshot

Idaho Montana

Projects with Timber Removal Completed or In-Progress 2016-2023

14 17

Projects without Timber Removal Completed or In-Progress 2016-2023

29 N/A

Estimated Acres Treated by 2023

13,568 10,934

Estimated Harvest Volume by 2023 (MBF)

113,058 68,599

Good Neighbor Authority

34Note: Map current as of 2-25-19. Project status changes frequently.

Shared Stewardship

“Shared stewardship simply means we

share decision space with states, partners

and tribes. Together we choose the right

tools, the right places and the appropriate

scale to invest our resources. We jointly set

priorities that incorporate each other’s

knowledge, skills and personnel.”

– Vicki Christiansen

Chief, US Forest Service

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Shared Stewardship

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In action, means:

• A sense of interdependence

and shared responsibility

• Outcomes based investment

strategies

• Working across

ownerships/boundaries

• Recognition of a need to

increase treatment areas

(active management)

Active Management

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Active Management

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Total Idaho & Montana National Forest Sold Volume (MMBF) vs. Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) 1990-2023

Volume Sold (MMBF), Idaho and Montana ASQ Idaho and Montana

Idaho National Forest Suitable Acres Managed 2010-2018

39*Total Suitable Acres: 4,202,010*Fuels Treatment: mechanical removal (non-commercial harvest), prescribed fire, and naturally occurring wildfire deemed beneficial to the landscape.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial 16,870 69,140 23,206 155,528 36,905 76,032 146,768 172,739 141,612

Commercial Harvest Acres 3,887 6,244 10,536 8,813 9,542 7,090 6,036 9,489 16,580

Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres 26,855 17,737 11,636 17,855 12,778 13,702 13,754 17,041 22,198

RX Fire Acres Treated 26,522 30,393 31,179 16,785 29,236 23,475 26,597 13,017 25,701

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Acr

es T

rea

ted

*

On average,

1.2% of Idaho’s suitable acres are treated each year

Idaho National Forest Region ComparisonAcres Managed 2010-2018

13%

9%

7%

71%

Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018ID Region 1

Total Acres: 461,802

RX Fire Acres Treated

Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres

Commercial Harvest Acres

Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial

40

20%

14%

5%

61%

Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018ID Region 4

Total Acres: 831,676

RX Fire Acres Treated

Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres

Commercial Harvest Acres

Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial

Total Idaho acres managed (region 1 & 4): 1,293,478

On average,

0.5% of Montana’s suitable acres are treated each year

Montana National Forest Suitable Acres Managed 2010-2018

41* Total Suitable Acres: 5,539,703* Fuels Treatment: mechanical removal (non-commercial harvest), prescribed fire, and naturally occurring wildfire deemed beneficial to the landscape.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial 8,283 29,151 25,522 55,918 45,078 147,591 46,932 142,246 50,993

Commercial Harvest Acres 12,884 9,845 9,997 12,436 10,684 8,014 7,980 6,094 10,132

Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres 25,312 14,709 11,851 12,237 15,865 12,137 13,148 13,642 16,126

RX Fire Acres Treated 15,689 30,520 19,914 15,222 16,520 18,620 13,373 12,894 21,892

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200,000

Acr

es T

rea

ted

*

Montana National Forest Region ComparisonAcres Managed 2010-2018

18%

14%

9%

59%

Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018Total Acres: 939,451

RX Fire Acres Treated

Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres

Commercial Harvest Acres

Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial

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Summary

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Desired Results

To increase the pace and scale of treatment on national forests, Idaho will need to commit resources to increasing activity as outlined in the Shared Stewardship agreement signed in December 2018.

Status Quo Treating the forests at our current pace, it will take ~121 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.

MOU 1.0Treating the forests by only doubling the current pace of commercial harvest, it will take ~103 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.

MOU 2.0Treating the forests at double the current pace (commercial harvest & hazardous fuels treatments), it will take ~60 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.

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Desired Results

In Montana, a similar commitment could reduce the time needed to treat at-risk acres in half.

Treating the forests at our current pace, it will take ~114 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.

Treating the forests by only doubling the current pace of commercial harvest, it will take ~93 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.

Treating the forests at double the current pace (commercial harvest & hazardous fuels treatments), it will take ~57 years to treat Montana’s 4.9 million acres at risk.

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Desired Results

PURPOSE

• Increased forest resilience and decreased catastrophic fire risk

PEOPLE

• Greater collaboration between state and federal governments (cooperative federalism) and stakeholders

PROCESS

• Continued focus on using new technology to collect data that will drive forest management decisions

• Increased sharing of data and science that can help government, private, and industry land owners better manage their forestland

PERFORMANCE

• A measurable increase in the pace and scale of treatment on public lands

Where did this data come from?

National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM) data is a collaborative process led by the Forest Health Monitoring program (FHM) and the USDA Forest Service that can be used to identify the potential impacts of pests and pathogens to forest ecosystems throughout the US for the time frame 2013-2027.

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data helps determine how much forest exists, where it exists, who owns it and how it is changing. It has been collected since 1930.The total nationwide fire acres were found on the National interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website that houses the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) fire

data yearly reports. These can be found at https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_statistics.html. The data on harvest came from USFS Cut and Sold Reports found at https://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/products/cut-sold/index.shtml.

Thank YouTom Schultz, VP of Government Affairs | tom.schultz@idfg.com