Nick Smith had an article about t his in his Wildfire News of the Day email today, but the link at the Payson Roundup doesn’t work.  This is all I see:

“The US Forest Service will remove overgrown brush and saplings on 7,600 acres burned by the Dude Fire in 1990 in an attempt to restore the natural, fire-resistant Ponderosa Pine forest that once grew there. The devastation from the Dude Fire can still be seen in Rim Country.”

FWIW, the USFS has this page about the project and a June 12 update here.

This isn’t a forest-planning story, but interesting. From the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB). Mentions the American Wood Council (AWC). It makes sense to reduce the use of wood in decks and siding, but using non-renewable products has an environmental impact. OTOH, there are wood products treated to be “fire-resistant, such as this one.

SLB Study Reveals Importance of WUI Code Work in Defending Market Share

Up to 150 MM BF of siding and 770 MM BF of decking from the repair and remodeling market are at risk from Wildland-Urban Interface code changes and adoption, according to an SLB-funded study by Forest Economic Advisors. The study quantifies the importance of the AWC and the SLB’s codes and standards work defending the use of lumber in regions with wildfire hazard.   “The FEA study is timely and relevant given recent major wildfire losses and significantly increased WUI code activity as a result,” says Phil Line, Vice President of Codes & Regulations at the AWC. “The study findings that lumber siding and decking are at risk aligns with WUI code requirements that regulate exterior building materials to reduce the spread of fire.”   Wildfires have been on a steady increase in recent years. Between 2005 and 2022, more than 100,000 structures were lost to fires in areas where structures and development meet undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. More jurisdictions are considering implementing building codes to mandate wildfire-resistant construction in these areas.   FEA’s analysis shows that while the use of lumber and structural panels is not affected by WUI codes when used structurally in roofs, walls, and floor systems, lumber volumes in the repair and remodeling market, especially decks and siding, are at risk. While the higher end of the estimates is not likely to be lost over the short to medium term, the potential volumes represent between 7% and 17% of total consumption for siding and 4% and 14% for decking.   The AWC is active in the development process for WUI codes including ICC 605, the new standard for residential construction in regions with wildfire hazard. The AWC is also using full-scale fire tests of hardened wood-frame buildings to demonstrate the viability of fire-resistant wood construction versus noncombustible materials alone.

This is not news to most foresters, but it’s good to have such a review from three parties, including TNC. Will the review help courts make decisions in cases where enviro groups claim that thinning, etc., do more harm than good? The debate, as ever, centers on whether taking any tree considered mature or old-growth. (Thanks once again to Nick Smith for the link.)

Comprehensive Science Review Shows Fuel Treatments Reduce Future Wildfire Severity

Researchers from the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Montana examined 30 years of fuel treatment effects on wildfire severity.

Excerpt:

Researchers found overwhelming evidence that in seasonally dry mixed conifer forests in the western U.S., reducing surface and ladder fuels and tree density through thinning, coupled with prescribed burning or pile burning, could reduce future wildfire severity by more than 60% relative to untreated areas. The study results were recently published in Forest Ecology and Management. You can download this Science You Can Use in 5 minutes for an overview of the research methods, key findings, management considerations and links to related publications.

Nick Smith had a link to an article about this USFS/BLM report, “Mature and Old-Growth Forests: Analysis of Threats on Lands Managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. From the executive summary (emphasis mine):

The initial threat analysis found that mature and old-growth forests have high exposure to a variety of threats—climate and disturbance projections show this exposure will likely increase. Currently, wildfire, exacerbated by climate change and fire exclusion, is the leading threat to mature and old-growth forests, followed by insects and disease in the West, while more varied disturbances threaten older forests in Alaska and in eastern regions. The analysis also found that two-thirds of mature forests and just over half of old-growth forests are vulnerable to these threats. Tree cutting (any removal of trees) is currently a relatively minor threat despite having been a major disturbance historically, as from 1950 to 1990 these practices were the primary reason for loss of old-growth forests.

Since 2000:

• Wildfires were associated with a net decrease of 2.6 million acres of mature forest, and 700,000 acres of old-growth forest.
• Insects and disease corresponded with a net decline of 1.9 million acres of mature forest and 182,000 acres of old-growth forest.
• Tree cutting that resulted in 24 percent-or-more basal area loss by the Forest Service and BLM was associated with a net decrease of 214,000 acres of mature forest and 9,000 acres of old-growth forest.
• Where no severe forest disturbances have occurred, mature forests had a net increase of 2.21 million acres and old-growth forests by 1.20 million acres.
• Combined, there has been a 2.51-million-acre net decline of mature forests, with about a tenth of this becoming old growth (a 0.28 million acre net increase in old growth).

Projections over the next 50 years show growth of young and mature forests may result in an increase of older forests, despite increased disturbances. However, gains lessen with each passing decade and the expanding wildland-urban interface complicates mitigation of threats. Projections of increasing mature and old-growth forests are tempered by the reality that American forests are entering uncharted territory with climate change. Climate change has already increased threat levels and is altering where, and what types of, mature and older forest can persist.

Mike Archer has this in his Wildfire News of the Day today (thanks, Mike!):

(1) A new report from The Breakthrough Institute critically assesses whether the economic benefits derived from fuel reduction treatments are sufficient to justify their costs by providing an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of fuel reduction treatments using a novel methodology that quantifies the relationship between fire intensity and fuel loads.
Cost-Effectiveness Of Large-Scale Fuel Reduction for Wildfire Mitigation in California https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/cost-effectiveness-of-large-scale-fuel-reduction-for-wildfire-mitigation-in-california

From the Exec. Summary:

At a fuel reduction rate of 3.9 million acres per year, and using our conservative central economic
input parameters, the annual cost of fuel reduction would be $10.5 billion, but it would confer a
benefit of $22.2 billion annually for a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.1-to-1 and a net benefit of $11.6 billion
annually (Figure ES-1). The cost of each year of delay in scaling up fuel treatment to 3.9 million acres
per year would be $5.8 billion.

This study looks at Mexican spotted owls, a subspecies of the northern spotted owl.

Open access paper from Fire Ecology:

Frequent burning and limited stand-replacing fire supports Mexican spotted owl pair occupancy

From High Country News….

Excerpt:

Since the passage of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) in 1998, more than $4 billion in revenue generated from Las Vegas area land sales has been directed to conservation, park improvement and wildfire prevention projects across Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Now, another $348 million in federal dollars is set to be allocated for additional projects, and the federal government is seeking input on where that money should go.

Dozens of projects have been proposed statewide, from those that would help protect endangered Mojave Desert tortoises in rural Southern Nevada to those that would expand city parks in Northern Nevada, all funded by proceeds from SNPLMA sales. 

News brief from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

In October 2022, Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley arrested Ricky Snodgrass, a U.S. Forest Service employee who was leading a prescribed burn that jumped to private land and burned roughly 20 acres. In February of this year, a grand jury indicted Snodgrass on a misdemeanor count of reckless burning.

His case was then moved to federal court, where it was dismissed last week. The case was a particularly striking example of longstanding tensions between federal agencies and local communities in rural Oregon.

From Undark, more evidence that tribes may be excellent collaborative forest-management partners for federal land managers….

In Montana, a Tribally Led Effort to Restore the Whitebark Pine

FYI…

The Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) will meet on June 25-27, 2024, at Courtyard Marriott Conference Room, 2301 Henderson Park Lane SE, Olympia, Washington. 

The FAC meeting will be livestreamed at Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee Meeting (hd1live.com) . The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.  Further details regarding the upcoming meeting, including how the public can provide information to the committee is posted on the Forest Service’s regional website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r6/nwfpfac.  The Federal Register meeting announcement can be found here: Federal Register: Northwest Forest Plan Area Advisory Committee.

FAC meetings are open for the public to observe in-person or via live stream.  Additionally, written and oral comments will be accepted, with oral comments taken during a designated portion of the meeting. 

Anyone wishing to provide in-person oral comments must pre-register by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 14, 2024. Written public comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. PST on June 14, 2024. Comments submitted after this date will be provided by the Forest Service to the Committee, but the Committee may not have adequate time to consider those comments prior to the meeting.

Meeting Purpose

This will be the Federal Advisory Committee’s fifth meeting for members to provide and vote on their recommendations for an amendment to the Northwest Forest Plan.

What is the Federal Advisory Committee’s role?

The FAC was established by the Secretary of Agriculture as part of ongoing efforts to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. The purpose of the FAC is to bring together diverse perspectives representing the experiences of communities, experts, Tribes, and other interested parties across the Northwest Forest Plan landscape to inform ways that forest management can effectively conserve key resources while considering social, ecological, and economic conditions and needs.

How can I get involved and learn more?  

The Federal Advisory Committee does not replace the public involvement process or the public’s opportunity to engage directly with the Forest Service regarding Northwest Forest Plan amendment efforts during the planning process.  To learn more about the Northwest Forest Plan and future engagement opportunities please visit the Northwest Forest Plan website.

The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in northwestern California, western Oregon, and Washington. It was established in 1994 to address threats to threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region. After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions.  

For future Northwest Forest Plan Amendment updates please sign-up using USDA Forest Service (govdelivery.com).

Additional Background: The Forest Service is required by law to develop plans that guide the long-term management of public lands. The Forest Service will amend the Northwest Forest Plan in accordance with the 2012 Planning Rule, using public input and other public, private, and nonprofit organizations and governments. Land management plans establish priorities and provide strategic direction for how the plan area is to be managed.   

Amendments to this plan will be informed by findings in the Bioregional Assessment and Science Synthesis as well as input from the Federal Advisory Committee and a range of other interested organizations and individuals. This effort builds on the agency’s Northwest Forest Plan work, including information gathers via monitoring, listening sessions and bioregional Assessment.