10,800-acre easement announced

In partnership with Stimson Lumber Company and the Idaho Department of Lands, nonprofit Trust for Public Land announced an easement agreement Wednesday that will protect 10,846 acres of working forests in Bonner and Boundary counties.

Under the agreement, IDL holds the development rights to land owned and logged by Stimson Lumber Company, ensuring the easement areas will not be subdivided and will continue to contribute to the local timber industry. 

“By protecting over 10,000 acres of working forestland in northern Idaho, Trust for Public Land has ensured that these vital landscapes will be preserved for future generations,” said Trust for Public Land Northern Rockies Director Dick Dolan. 

The new easement area includes property south of Sagle adjacent to Lake Pend Oreille and near Farragut State Park as well as forest land southwest of Bonners Ferry. Sections of the easement property border state land as well as Stimson Lumber Company property already protected by existing agreements. 

In a press release, IDL Director Dustin Miller and Stimson Lumber Company President Andrew Miller expressed their commitment to preserving working forests in the area and protecting the longevity of Idaho’s timber industry. 

According to Sam McSherry, Trust for Public Land project manager, the value of the easement will become more and more apparent as time goes on. 

“This is very much just establishing what's already in place for down the road,” McSherry said. 

To enable the agreement, Trust for Public Land worked to secure $7.7 million in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program. 

A portion of those funds were used to purchase the easement with Stimson Lumber Company, whose property value under an easement agreement shrinks due to the elimination of development opportunities for the landowner. 

McSherry noted that dedicating timber land to be worked in perpetuity supports sustainable harvesting practices and jobs in logging and forest products production. 

“The overall benefit that these projects can bring is economic support to these communities,” he said. 

McSherry also emphasized the importance of safeguarding undeveloped land to protect the wilderness character of the area for use by residents. 

“Another huge benefit of these easements in northern Idaho is preserving the public’s access to the backyards,” he said. “These are the areas that the community members rely on, and being able to protect those for the future is pivotal.”

    Stimson Lumber Company-owned land affected by the new agreement, shaded orange, will continue to be used for timber production and is protected from subdivision and development.