Timber and silviculture program for 2023/2024

SALMON, Idaho (KIFI) - Active timber and silviculture/reforestation projects benefit both local communities and healthy forests. They help combat the ongoing wildfire crisis, contribute forest products to the local economy, improve forest resilience, and restore wildfire impacted landscapes.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest has hundreds of thousands of acres effected by wildfire in the last decade and is actively developing and funding a robust reforestation program.  For 2023, the Forest has received more than one million dollars for reforestation– more than 50 times the investment in previous years – thanks to the Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees (REPLANT) Act made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will be used to build the infrastructure necessary to plant 500-1000 acres annually for the next ten years. Reforestation will begin in 2024, with 400 acres planted in the 2012 Mustang Complex wildfire.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest has 26 ongoing timber sales covering 3,916 acres producing 39,511 CCF (4 CCF equals roughly 5 cords of wood). In 2023, we are offering 13 additional timber sales for a total of 22,989 CCF and includes more than 14,000 CCF of salvage volume from the 2022 Moose Fire. For 2024, it is planning to sell another 27,000 CCF.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest is also offering thinning contracts (slashing of small diameter trees) to improve forest health. In 2023, we are implementing 6 thinning contracts on 2,908 acres. In 2024, a minimum of 2,500 more acres will be offered through thinning contracts.

For more information about the Salmon-Challis timber and silviculture programs contact Amanda Rollwage at amanda.rollwage@usda.gov or 208-756-5100.