Charred Timber from Woodhead Wildfire in Idaho to Help Fund Idaho Schools

The Woodhead Fire, near Council Idaho, which started from unknown causes on September 7^th, 2020, had not even been partially contained before the Idaho Department of Lands forestry team, knowing that for a limited time blackened timber still have a value, began evaluating the potential for selling burned trees as salvage sales. About 20,000 acres of Idaho Endowment Land was impacted by the fire. These are lands where trees are grown to eventually harvest to generate funds for Idaho schools and other beneficiaries and provide renewable forest products. Luke Pate, Idaho Department of Lands Forester in the Payette Lakes Supervisory Area, noted that, “Many of these endowment trees were sold for harvest prior to the Woodhead Fire, but the harvest was not finished before the fire hit. This was a devastating fire, but instead of letting these trees go to waste, we have modified three timber contracts to account for the burned timber, and there are additional new sales for other burned trees.” While the damaged trees are not as valuable as green trees, revenue from the harvests in the area are still expected to generate $2.1 million for endowment beneficiaries. Idaho Department of Lands salvage timber sales in the area will continue for the next couple of years. Reforestation and monitoring of the area for additional damage will be ongoing.