Commissioners declare local emergency

Boundary County commissioners declared an emergency Monday due to what they said is a heighted wildfire risk from insufficient fuels mitigation by the U.S. Forest Service.

“This resolution shall serve to formally notify the U.S. Forest Service and other federal partners of the county’s urgent concern and demand for immediate mitigation actions,” the declaration states. “The preservation of property, infrastructure, natural resources and economic activities — including timber, agriculture, and recreation — are significantly threatened by the growing risk of catastrophic wildfire. Observed fuel loads indicate that the accumulation of dead, dry and overgrown vegetation has reached hazardous levels.” 

Commissioners described the move as “following suit” with recent federal and state emergency declarations to expedite forest management and reduce wildfire risks. 

On March 1, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the “immediate expansion of American timber production.”   

Then on April 4, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins published a memo to establish an “Emergency Situation Determination” in national forest land to “expedite work on the ground and carry out authorized emergency actions to reduce wildfire risk.” 

And on April 22, Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act” directing the Idaho Department of Lands to increase collaborative management efforts with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho’s forests, which have become a “tinderbox of fuel that threatens communities.” 

Despite these federal and state directives, Idaho Panhandle National Forest officials recently said that no new timber sales are expected in the Bonners Ferry District until at least 2027. 

“In the notice from the Secretary of Agriculture, they wanted to identify areas that needed immediate treatment. This will help them identify areas of immediate treatment,” said Commissioner Ben Robertson. “We’re requesting assistance from the Forest Service to defend against the threat. The mitigation isn’t necessarily emergency services, but it’s the Forest Service managing the timber in Boundary County.”