Forest Merger Plan Needs More Study, Says Kempthorne Feels North Idaho Delegation, Local Parties Left Out

Sen. Dirk Kempthorne wants Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck to reconsider a proposal to consolidate the Clearwater and Nez Perce national forests, calling it premature.

While deputy regional forester Richard Bacon of Missoula last week likened the idea to thinking out loud, he said the two forests ultimately could be merged if Congress approves.

Kempthorne said he was concerned because Idaho’s congressional delegation has not been consulted on an issue with significant impact on the people of North Idaho.

No decisions should be made without conducting a series of local meetings and close consultation with the congressional delegation, he wrote Tuesday in a letter to Dombeck.

The Clearwater National Forest has undergone a significant internal reorganization in recent years, and it has coordinated firefighting efforts with the Nez Perce National Forest, Kempthorne said.

“Further efforts to share responsibility may be possible without a full-scale merging of the two forests,” he wrote. “Any attempt to merge the forests would be premature without having considered the efforts already under way, and exploring the opportunities suggested by that cooperation.”

Kempthorne said the Forest Service also should reconsider the proposal to locate a combined headquarters for the two national forests in Lewiston.

“Lewiston is a thriving community and has much to offer as the region’s primary economic center,” the senator wrote. “But Orofino and Grangeville are the local centers for the rural communities closest to and most dependent on the forests.

“The question is where would the Forest Service best serve the public? If the Forest Service is committed to maintaining a long-term relationship with the people most directly tied to resource-based industries, the ideal locations would be closest to where the management decisions go into effect.”

While Kempthorne said he appreciates any effort to streamline bureaucracies and save taxpayer dollars, he fears the Forest Service is considering drastic reorganization primarily to reduce the timber management program.

“Instead of responding to current budget levels by downsizing management operations, I would be interested to know what steps the Forest Service will take to help restore timber harvest to levels more reflective of the production capacity of the region,” he wrote.