State, Timber Firm Agree To Land Swap

Idaho’s Land Board approved a land trade with Idaho Forest Industries on Tuesday, swapping state timberland south of Rose Lake for IFI timberland near St. Maries and Rathdrum.

Jim English, IFI executive vice president, said the trade will allow the timber products company to harvest its trees more efficiently.

“All we’re trying to do is just get everything in one block,” he said. “You can put one logger in a big block, and that’s much cheaper than having to move him all over.”

The state is after the same goal with its timberlands. The state is trading scattered parcels that are expensive to manage, said Perry Whittaker of the Department of Lands.

IFI will get four parcels of land totaling 952 acres. The state will get five parcels of timberland, three of them north of St. Maries and the other two northwest of Rathdrum. Those parcels total 1,122 acres.

Appraisals on both sides came in at $5 million, and the timber values are about equal, Whittaker said.

English said the trade took about two years to put together.