Ancient Cedars Are Worth Saving

Environmentalists and the timber industry agree about as often as Halley’s comet comes around. So, when the two sides are in harmony, people should pay attention - particularly U.S. Forest Service officials.

Surprisingly, timber interests and conservationists agree that a stand of ancient red cedars at Upper Priest Lake is worth saving.

Industry representatives fear they would face a public relations disaster if Riley Creek Timber Co. began hauling off trees, 12 feet in diameter and an estimated 1,500 years old. Said industry spokesman Ken Kohli: “Anybody with two eyes over the age of 6 would have to realize this is an ecologically unique place. … Most people in the industry would say that’s the kind of place that should be set aside.”

For some reason, however, Forest Service officials are lukewarm to a proposed land swap that would save the ancient cedars from Riley Creek’s chain saws. Unfortunately, while the Forest Service has fiddled, the price of the cedar has doubled. Now, the agency considers the cost of the cedar prohibitive - despite eagerness by Riley Creek to work things out.

While fiscal conservatism is admirable in a federal agency, this is no time to be pinching pennies. Or hoarding lower-quality federal woodlands as bargaining chips for future land swaps. The U.S. Forest Service should pull out all stops to protect this 520-acre stand of trees.

After all, what price do you place on the awesome experience of walking among ancient cedars which sprouted 1,000 years before Columbus sailed for the New World?

Don Howell, retired chief appraiser for the Forest Service, says nothing comparable to the Upper Priest Lake stand can be found in the market. Said he: “This old-growth red cedar is large, high-quality and not typical at all of the Inland Empire. Some people on the West Coast say you couldn’t even find it there.”

The worth of the Riley Creek property includes its value as wildlife habitat. Black bears and grizzlies roam the area during the spring; moose, in the winter. Rare plants and a bald eagle nest have been found on adjacent forest lands.

With industry and environmentalists joining hands, nothing more is needed but for Idaho Panhandle Forest Supervisor David Wright and the U.S. Forest Service to find the will to save the entire stand.

Sure, cedar makes lovely table tops. But no table top can compare with what the trees look like in their natural setting.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board