An "Outbreak Incident" Assessment Team was formed to evaluate the magnitude of the outbreak, project its future behavior, and develop both short and long term strategies for treatment. The team used the federal guidelines for "Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale" to structure the assessment.
Broad scale information from An Assessment of the Ecosystem Components in the Interior Columbia Basin, the Northern Region Assessment, and sub basin level geographic assessments provided historic and present day information of the ecological, social and economic conditions of the Idaho Panhandle
National Forests. Along with field observations and work by entomologists, the team used the assessments to characterize the infestation areas or those areas at risk of infestation by Douglas fir bark beetles.
Beetle infestation hazard ratings were developed to estimate the number of acres that could potentially become infested. Inventoried stands were assigned an infestation probability of high, moderate, low or zero.Findings
We estimate that 125,000 acres of timber in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNFs) and 24,000 acres on the Colville National Forest are currently under attack by Douglas fir beetles. Across the IPNFs, 37,478 acres rated as high hazard and 211,527 rated as moderate hazard to Douglas fir beetle attack. This means that nearly 250,000 acres have the potential to be infested by Douglas fir beetles.
Findings of the IPNF geographic assessments, at least in relation to vegetation disturbance, are very similar to more broad scale conclusions at the Columbia Basin scale. Compared to historic conditions, there has been a large reduction in the percent of early seral species such as ponderosa pine, white pine and larch due to decades of fire suppression, white pine blister rust and past logging.
There is almost twice as much Douglas fir on the landscape and forest structures have shifted from older to younger aged stands. In addition, the risk of catastrophic fire events is high and increasing due to fuel accumulations.
The team identified 20 areas on the IPNF that were class)fied into two groups: 9 risk areas, and 11 hazard areas. Risk areas are those areas where the beetle is present and there is a high degree of mortality. Hazard areas are those areas with smaller infestations and anticipated to become further infested with the beetle within two to four years, if the beetle epidemic expands.
The risk areas were then assigned priorities for treatment, based on several factors: current and anticipated mortality related to Douglas fir bark beetle infestations, and anticipated risks to ecosystem components such as aquatics, the urban interface, Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive species, and vegetation. The team recommended that the top priority areas for treatment be those areas where risks to specific ecosystem elements are moderate to high.
| Priorty/Risk Area | Ranger Dist | Aquatics | Urban Fire Risk | Habitat | Vegetation |
| Hayden | Coeur'd'Alene | Moderate | High | Moderate | High |
| Coeur'd'Alene Lake | Coeur'd'Alene | Moderate | High | Moderate | High |
| Lower Priest | Priest LAke | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High |
| Watson | Priest Lake | High | Low | Moderate | High |
| Pend Oreille | Newport | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High |
| Chain Lakes | Coeur'd'Alene | Low | High | Low | High |
| Steamboat | Coeur'd'Alene | High | Low | Low | Moderate |
| Bumblebee | Coeur'd'Alene | Low | LOW | LOW | hIGH |
| Hart | Coeur'd'Alene | Low | Low | Low | Moderate |
Since the bark beetle outbreak on the IPNF is so widespread, we recognize there is not much we can do to control or stop it. Instead, the outbreak has caused us to shift our focus of ecosystem restoration to areas where the beetle is causing large amounts of Douglas fir trees to die. If we can recover the economic value of the trees before they become unmerchantable, we can also achieve goals for long term aquatic and terrestrial restoration in the beetle attacked areas.
With the majority of the priority areas concentrated in the Priest Lake, Coeur d'Alene River, and Newport Ranger Districts, the leadership team on the Idaho Panhandle and the Forest Supervisor on the Colville National Forests decided to produce two Environmental Impact Statements; one for the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District and one for the Priest Lake and Newport Ranger Districts. Each district will produce a Record of Decision for their project area.
A team chartered to layout the framework for the two EISs developed the following purpose and need statements:
Begin restoration of stand composition and structure to more closely resemble historic vegetative condition.
Begin alteration of road conditions that have a negative effect on terrestrial (wildlife security) and/or watershed conditions prioritized by risk.
In urban interface areas, to reduce the likelihood for adverse effects as a result of fire by reducing fuel loadings from dead and at risk trees.
Recover the economic value of beetle affected areas before the trees become unmerchantable.
Apply the recovered economic value to restoration needs where appropriate.
To maintain consistency in activities across the districts, the team developed the following generalized proposed action for the districts to base more specific proposals on.
A) Urban Interface Treatments: In areas where urban or private values are at risk due to fuel accumulations related to the Douglas fir beetle outbreak, fuels would be treated by timber harvest, burning and/or piling so as to reduce the risk of losing these values to wildfire.
B) Vegetation Restoration Treatments: Regeneration harvest activities would be proposed in stands of at least five acres in size where greater than 50% of the basal area within the area is projected to die from the current Douglas fir beetle outbreak. Activities include harvest, site preparation and or fuels hazard reduction with fire or by mechanical methods and tree planting.
C) Selective Harvest Treatments: Selective harvest treatment activities would be proposed in stands where less than 50% of the basal area within the area is projected to die from the current Douglas fir beetle outbreak and also in areas of special management need or where public safety issues are a concern. Activities includeharvest, and fuel hazard reduction by fire or mechanical methods.
(D) Aquatic, Watershed and Wildlife Restoration Treatments: activities would include closing or obliterating roads (for watershed health and wildlife security) and modifying (by reconstruction) other road elements that pose risks to watersheds. Activities may not be associated with timber sales. Where activities are associated with timber sales and along haul routes, watershed restoration will be achieved when practical.
(E) Prescribed fire used to reduce fuel hazard and to prepare sites for regeneration would not be limited only to timber harvest areas but may also be used where harvest is not practical.
(F) Pest management techniques, including application of pheromones to protect high valued stands, would be used in those areas where such treatment would likely be effective. As pan of the proposed action timber harvest will not occur in:
Designated old growth that maintains old growth characteristics, Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas, Inventoried Roadless Areas, Stands where a minimum number of snags can not be maintained, Areas of known populations of sensitive plant species, Areas where they result in a likely to adversely affect determination for Threatened or Endangered Species, Areas where harvest can affect sphagnum peatlands, Proposed or designated Research Natural Areas
In addition, no permanent roads will be constructed as part of the Proposed Action. Temporary roads may be a part of the proposed action.
To be able to capture the value of the trees killed by the bark beetle, we must act quickly. This project has become the top priority for the IPNF and the forest is planning on completing draft EISs by early January. The Colville is working in partnership with us to achieve the same goals for the Newport District in an efficient manner.
