August 2024

August 27, 2024 - IFG Resource Analyst, Tera King, was a featured speaker at the National Association of State Trust Lands (NASTL) summer conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Representatives from across the country met to discuss the vital role state trust lands play in funding public schools (K-12 and universities) and enjoyed a tour of IFG’s Chilco sawmill as part of the conference. State trust lands are typically leased for livestock grazing, agriculture, timber production, and renewable energy development and are a critical resource that balances revenue generation for public schools with sustainable land management and conservation. In Idaho, the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) manages the state’s timberland asset on behalf of the endowments (public schools and hospitals) and sells timber through a competitive bid process. IFG is proud to support this important program and, on average, purchases 48% of what IDL offers for sale; which means, 20% of our logs come from Idaho state trust lands. A portion of our logs are also purchased from the states of Washington and Montana.   See a 18 second video here: https://youtu.be/xIdOibrbzNw To learn more, visit statetrustland.org and idl.idaho.gov #education #statetrustlands #IFG

Photo credit: David Goodson, Montana Discovery Foundation August, 5, 2024, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Seventy-five years ago today, 13 elite smoke jumpers lost their lives during the Mann Gulch wildfire in the mountains near Helena, Montana. Lessons learned from that tragedy were instrumental in helping form modern wildfire fighting strategies to better improve safety and reduce wildfire severity. To learn more of this story and the many advancements that came through the sacrifice of the men, follow these resources: Read Norman Maclean’s book, Young Men and Fire Visit the United States Forest Service website. Visit the Montana Discovery Foundation website to see how proceeds from this poster help the organization celebrate not only this day of remembrance, but provide continued stewardship, understanding, and enjoyment of our natural resources by connecting community and nature through education.