Barker: Billionaire brothers halt logging, snowmobile access on S. Idaho forests

Logging companies were abruptly told in August to pull their crews off of 172,000 acres of private forestland that for decades was owned by Boise Cascade.

At least four logging companies have been forced to lay off around 100 loggers and truckers, causing economic upheaval in Valley, Boise and Gem counties.

Now new owner DF Development LLC, apparently affiliated with Wilks Development and owned by two Texas billionaire brothers who have been buying land across the West, have written Valley County terminating its leases to roads on the land that are critical access to its popular West Mountain snowmobiling trails. So far, representatives of the Wilks brothers have refused to answer repeated telephone inquiries by the Idaho Statesman about why they have shut down logging and terminated the road leases. More here . Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman