Deal saves 23,154 acres above the St. Joe River

More than 23,000 acres of private timberland above the St. Joe River, including an ancient cedar grove, will forever be open to public use and protected against private development, according to an agreement announced Wednesday between Potlatch Corp. and the Trust for Public Land.

The $4.4 million conservation easement aims to protect the region’s timber economy – Potlatch or any future owners will be allowed to cut trees – while also ensuring the forest will never be subdivided for vacation homes, RV parks or fancy fishing lodges.

“As growth increases, we expect there to be more pressure for development within that watershed,” said Nelson Mathews, regional manager for the Trust for Public Land.

The 23,154-acre tract of forest is located about 20 miles east of St. Maries in the Mica Creek area. The land is above the St. Joe River and encompasses an important tributary. The Trust for Public Land hopes to eventually protect 80,000 acres of private timberland in the St. Joe Basin. The Idaho Department of Lands will oversee the easement.

Almost $3.5 million, or 75 percent, of the easement was provided through the federal Forest Legacy Program. Potlatch chipped in a land donation worth $500,000. The rest came from private donors. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, holds a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and helped secure the funds. Craig supported the deal because it offered a rare opportunity to protect the environment and the economy, according to a statement from the senator.

“Like most Idahoans, I strongly believe that we can simultaneously protect the timber economy and the environment. I have worked hard for this Forest Legacy project because it does just that – protects our economy and also our forests and our streams,” he said.

The forests along the St. Joe have long supported the region’s timber economy. The area also is drawing an increasing number of anglers, many from out of state, who fly-fish for trout in the river’s clear, cold water. Unlike the heavily mined and logged Coeur d’Alene River Basin, environmentalists say the St. Joe and its tributaries are relatively pristine.

Although Potlatch is considered one of the best land stewards in the business – especially after the company’s announcement in April to become the nation’s first publicly traded timber company to agree to Forest Stewardship Council certification standards – the conservation easement makes sense for the company’s bottom line, said Mathews, with the Trust for Public Land. Global timber markets are flooded and real estate deals have emerged as a smart hedge against losses.

Potlatch has lost money in its St. Maries operations for the past two years, according to information from the Trust for Public Land. The conservation easement allows the company to offer shareholders a healthy return, without sacrificing its land base. Potlatch still is able to sell the land someday, though the conservation easement will forever remain attached to the deed.

As part of the deal, Potlatch agreed to stop logging on some of the property, including a 107-acre old-growth stand along the West Fork of Mica Creek. The area includes giant cedar, grand fir and spruce that were spared during the massive wildfires of 1910. Potlatch also agreed to some stricter logging standards, such as wider buffers along streams on the property.

The Trust for Public Land hopes to protect another 25,000 acres along the St. Joe by the end of September. The group expects to kick off a fund-raising campaign soon to raise $1.5 million to secure federal matching funds, Mathews said. The current conservation easement cost about $190 per acre. Combined with the federal matching funds, “for $200 someone could help us preserve five acres,” Mathews said.