Transforming Forest Health in Idaho & Montana Tom Schultz, VP - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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 earths
Tom Schultz, VP Government Affairs
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contractors assisting business.
Montana, and Washington states
That equates to trucks lined up end to end from Coeur d’Alene to Pittsburgh, PA!
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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We’re going to discuss:
forests
will take to make an impact
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Today’s Inland Northwest forests are not the same forests that existed before European settlement. Their ecology has been altered by:
tree species that are less tolerant of fire and disease and are competing for limited resources.
are susceptible to insect, disease, and catastrophic wildfire.
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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 Timber Harvested (MBF) Acres burned
U.S. Volume Harvested vs. U.S. Acres Burned in Wildfires 1980-2017
burned in Idaho & Montana
conditions are now similar to the conditions prior to 1910
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1910 Fire:
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Mortality Fire Overstocked/Weakened Stands
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NIDRM
percentage of acres at risk.
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 Lands USFS-Non Wilderness Wilderness Areas BLM Private Other Ownerships
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258,191 4,955,281 974,152 180,406 877,950 409,578
Montana
Total: 7,862,018 Total: 7,655,558
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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.
According to the US Forest Service, almost 70% of federal forests need some sort of fuels restoration treatment, which may include:
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Clearwater Complex, near Kamiah, 2015
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MONTANA IDAHO 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
One decade ago, mortality in the Intermountain Forest started to exceed growth. What defines mortality? Trees that DIED from natural causes:
Tree mortality is measured as trees that died from natural causes within 5 years of the measurement date.
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500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 1952 1962 1976 1986 1991 1996 2006 2011 2016
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.
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500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 1952 1962 1976 1986 1991 1996 2006 2011 2016
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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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:
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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
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
263%
Idaho Montana
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% 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by Ownership USFS BLM State Private
0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 3.00% 3.50% 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 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.
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0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% Montana, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest
Private Lands Beaverhead Bitterroot Flathead Kootenai Lolo
0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% Idaho, Net Growth as % of BF Volume by National Forest
Private Lands Panhandle Clearwater Nez Perce Boise Payette
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Why do we care about Mortality?
carbon emissions
and increased erosion
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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Clearwater Basin Collaborative
recognizes current forest conditions are significantly departed from natural ranges of variation. The science enabled consensus amongst the CBC.
timber sold volume since 2008, from about 35 MMBF to 120 MMBF a year.
“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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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.
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with the states to increase the pace and scale of forest and watershed restoration activities on federal forests.
through timber sale revenue which will lead to increased restoration and management in the forest.
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
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Note: Map current as of 2-25-19. Project status changes frequently.
“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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In action, means:
and shared responsibility
strategies
increase treatment areas (active management)
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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
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*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
100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000
Acres Treated
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On average,
suitable acres are treated each year
13% 9% 7% 71% Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018 ID Region 1 Total Acres: 461,802
RX Fire Acres Treated Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres Commercial Harvest Acres Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial
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20% 14% 5% 61% Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018 ID 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,
suitable acres are treated each year
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* 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
40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000 200,000
Acres Treated
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18% 14% 9% 59% Total Acres Managed between 2010-2018 Total Acres: 939,451
RX Fire Acres Treated Mechanical Fuels Treatment Acres Commercial Harvest Acres Wildfire Acres Deemed Beneficial
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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 1.0
Treating the forests by
current pace of commercial harvest, it will take ~103 years to treat Idaho’s 6.1 million acres at risk.
MOU 2.0
Treating 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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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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PURPOSE
PEOPLE
federalism) and stakeholders PROCESS
forest management decisions
and industry land owners better manage their forestland PERFORMANCE
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.
Tom Schultz, VP of Government Affairs | tom.schultz@idfg.com