Trade Of Timber For Old Cedars Moves Forward

Plans to trade a popular 500-acre grove of old cedars for 2,300 acres of timberland cleared another hurdle this week.

The U.S. Forest Service received no appeals of its proposal to trade with Riley Creek Lumber Co. for the cedar plot, located on the north end of Upper Priest Lake. If a U.S. Senate oversight committee approves the swap, the Forest Service and Riley Creek will be able to trade deeds in early October, said Dave O’Brien of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

Dozens of letters of support and the lack of an appeal demonstrates the broad base of support for the trade, O’Brien said.

The Forest Service has been working on the trade for five years. It will give up land in the Frost Peak/Latour Baldy area south of Cataldo as well as a handful of smaller, miscellaneous tracts.

Much of the Cataldo-area Forest Service land has never been logged.

The Forest Service doesn’t anticipate any problems getting Senate approval, O’Brien said.

, DataTimes