More than $30 million in restoration projects taking place in North-Central Idaho

More than $30 million is being invested into projects benefiting restoration of North-Central Idaho landscapes.

Nicknamed the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA), the agreements are between multiple agencies: the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho County.

“In these agreements, we’re able to capture our common interests with our partner groups and facilitate more restoration work getting done across public lands,” said Sarah Alberts, partnership coordinator for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

Planned projects include reducing wildfire fuels, wildlife habitat improvement and fisheries restoration, Alberts said.

Each of the partners have their own interests when it comes to improving forest health and local economies, said Angie Edwards, the partnership coordinator for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. 

“Idaho Department of Land’s primary interest and directive from the state is to engage in working in timber harvests and in productive timber for the state of Idaho, whereas Fish and Game is more interested in projects that directly benefit wildlife habitat,” Edwards said. 

“Approximately 1,000 acres of timber will be harvested to reduce the threat of wildfire and improve forest health near the community of Elk City,” said Jon Songster, Idaho Department of Land’s GNA bureau chief. Additional timber sales will treat another 500 acres in the next year.

In 2022, the Williams Creek Fire burned more than 15,000 acres in Orogrande, near Elk City.

Idaho Fish and Game has already foregone some of their priorities to support broader needs in the forests, said Tara Ball, a wildlife biologist for Idaho Fish and Game. 

“We’ve demonstrated our commitment to build a strong partnership that we hoped would support our priorities in the long term,” Ball said. “We are starting to see this transpire with work in the Selway, South Fork and North Fork watersheds and are excited to do good things for wildlife in areas where it matters most.”

A hiker looks into the wilderness from Rocky Ridge, a mountain peak in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Restoration projects are planned throughout the North Idaho national forests, which span four million acres. (Credit: Lauren Paterson / NWPB)

Projects like road improvements and fuels reduction are already underway, Edwards said.

While recreation isn’t technically part of the agreement, people who frequent the forests will see tangible benefits, said Cyrus Forman, a public affairs officer for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. 

“You’ll see improved fisheries through aquatic restoration,” he said. ”A lot of work focuses on forest health in a way that you’ll likely see improved elk herds, and by improving forest health and by doing this kind of work on a large programmatic basis, recreators will notice an improved forest for their desired form of recreation.”

Money will be flowing to local contractors for work in timber sales and construction. That will help benefit the local economy, Forman said.

The larger project plan is part of an overall focus on confronting the wildfire crisis facing Northwest communities, he said.