Boise Cascade Drops Spray Plans

Boise Cascade Corp. has dropped a controversial plan to spray insecticide on 10,000 acres of forest land in the Huckleberry and Summit mountain ranges of Stevens County.

Company forester Phil Anderson confirmed the decision Saturday, which was tentatively announced Thursday at state forest practices appeals hearing in Olympia.

Anderson said the decision was based on spruce budworm larvae counts - not pressure from groups that opposed the spraying.

“They were at a level that we thought we could live with this year,” fewer than four on average in a branch about two feet long, Anderson said. “We are still going to monitor our stands to see what budworm populations develop over the summer and, if necessary, we will still pursue budworm spraying next year.”

The appeal hearing on this year’s spraying plan was suspended, but another hearing was scheduled for late September to determine whether the state Department of Natural Resources should allow future use of carbaryl insecticide.

The Spokane Tribe and a coalition of seven environmental organizations contends the DNR should require a supplemental environmental impact statement or simply prohibit use of the chemical.