 |
|
Natural
Resources
Projects & Committees Projects
& Committees
Main Page
Strategic Action Plan
Emergency
Housing
Business Development
Tourism
Natural Resources
Business Expansion
Infrastructure
Planning & Zoning
Arts/Culture & Education
|
 |
There have been only minor changes in the Natural Resource area since the last update. The timber harvest, agricultural and ranching industries are in stagnant or declining conditions, and that trend is not expected to change.
The local cattle industry continues to decline as higher value residential and recreational uses for the limited land base continues to replace agricultural acreage. As more people establish homes in the Valley and adjacent urban interface areas, more conflicts develop with range cattle. A reduction in cattle use is also occurring on the National Forest lands. |
|
There has been no new log processing facility come into the Valley since the closure of the Owens & Hurst Lumber Company. The Johnson Brothers from Missoula continue to operate the pellet mil and recently have purchased the Lonepine Mill (planer). They have begun operating one of the planers and hope to have another one operational soon. Most of the raw materials for both the pellet mill and planner come from outside the local area.
The TIMBER group, a joint committee between TVCDC and Eureka Area Chamber of Commerce, had been providing local input to the Kootenai National Forest and participated in the planning process, decided to disband. Two collaborative groups formed over the last year; Kootenai National Forest Stakeholders and the Lincoln County Coalition. Both groups have a diverse membership and are working on bridging interests.
The Stakeholders, estimated 75 members strong, is open to any person (regardless of location) who has an interest in the forest. The Stakeholders is a stand allow non-profit with an 11 person board overseeing daily operations. The entire membership meets every two months but the brunt of the work and collaboration takes place on the Forest Service District level. Project Teams were formed to work with each district on specific projects. The Stakeholders are currently focusing mostly in the wild land urban interface/fuels reduction projects.
The Lincoln County Coalition is a smaller group with participates only from Lincoln County. The Coalition draws together wilderness advocates, snowmobile and ATV-riders, outfitters, economic boosters and local loggers and mills. These diverse folks put differences aside and try to find paths to move the Forest Service and the community ahead. The Lincoln County Coalition is advancing a draft legislative package - The Lincoln County Community Development Project which all sides promise to finish and champion in Congress.
Although still in draft form, Lincoln County Community Development Project package would:
- Create jobs in the woods, by way of light-on-the-land logging that leaves the forest healthier and protects communities from wildfire.
- Preserve recreational access, by way of routes and trails for folks who enjoy snowmobiles and ATVs.
- Protecting special areas, for example protecting Roderick Mountain, up the Yaak, as a wilderness area.
The Kootenai Forest management Plan is still being developed with a draft plan expected out to the public by summer 2007. Some of the roadless areas are expected to be recommended for Wilderness Designation, but probably not in the areas adjacent to the Tobacco Valley. Urban interface areas will continue to be an area of high emphasis for timber harvest and fire hazard reduction. Declining Forest Service budgets will likely have an impact on how much resource work gets accomplished.
Fire hazard reduction projects continue to be an emphasis item on both private and public lands in the urban interface area of the Valley. Efforts and interest especially increased after the Camp 32 Fire threatened the Valley in 2005. New subdivisions are now required to reduce the fire hazard before the County will approve the subdivision. The west Kootenai became a 501 c 3 non-profit Fire Service Area in 2005 and is currently seeking funding for equipment, fire hall and fire hazard reduction projects. Matching funds are available from both the Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) and the National Resource Conservation Service for fire hazard reduction projects on private lands.
The Eureka Public Schools have recently acquired funding to covert to a biomass heating system to heat all three schools (elementary, middle and high school). The system is supposed to be operational by the fall of 2007. This heating unit will require up to 960 tons of wood chips or 630 tons of industrial wood pellets annually for its operation. This amount of material could potentially be collected from local thinning and fire hazard reduction projects.
Concerns and Opportunities for the TVCDC Natural Resource Base Committee
are:
- Biomass and Small diameter opportunities
- Business development and job creation/retention
- Could work into the Business Park
- Affordability of harvesting small diameter/biomass materials
- Regional, state, national attention on forest issues
- Stewardship possibilities with the Forest Service
- Continue building relationships/Collaborative efforts
- Loggers moving over to more construction base work
- Is there is still a desire to work in the forest
- Movement on forest restoration
- Learning curve on new forest based work opportunities
|
|
