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Oct 14
Shared Stewardship, forest, state

Federal–State “Shared Stewardship” Strategy Takes Hold

By Community, News
By Steve Wilent On May 8, Washington State became the second state to sign a “shared stewardship” memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement with the US Forest Service. The MOU calls for the state and the Forest Service “to work collaboratively toward mutual goals and effectively respond to the increasing suite of challenges facing communities, landscapes, and natural resources across the state. The partnership will work together to improve forest health—a cornerstone of clean water and abundant wildlife habitat—and create exceptional recreational and outdoor opportunities across the state,” according to a joint announcement. “Wildfire, forest health, and habitat loss are not issues that respect property lines,” said Washington commissioner of public lands Hilary Franz. “To truly tackle our wildfire and forest health crisis, at the pace and scale this crisis demands, we need a strong partnership between Washington State and the USDA Forest Service. This agreement ensures that our response will be unified, well-coordinated, and deliver maximum benefit for the people.” Idaho was the first state to enter into a shared stewardship agreement with the Forest Service. On May 8, 2019, Hilary Franz, Washington State’s commissioner of public lands, announces the signing of a shared stewardship memorandum of understanding between the state and the US Forest Service (USFS), calling it a model for other states to follow. USFS Chief Vicki Christiansen looks on. Photo: Washington Department of Natural Resources. “By pooling resources, sharing expertise and making decisions together, the State of Idaho and the Forest Service can get more work done in our forests to protect…
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Jul 11
log truck drivers, help wanted, jobs near me, forestry, timber

Log Truck Drivers Needed

By News
Being a lumber manufacturer takes a lot more than milling wood. It involves sourcing logs, transporting the logs, manufacturing products, finding suitable markets, and transporting the products to the markets. All these roles require people to do the work. A labor shortage has become a major concern for almost all industries in the United States and truck drivers are one of the positions most unfilled. According to the American Trucking Association the United States is projected to be short 175,000 truck drivers by 2026. Log truck driving companies are facing the same challenge. Driving a log truck takes experience and special skills beyond that of a common CDL licensed driver and there are limited venues for developing these skills around the country, with none currently nearby. Schools have typically been underused because they require a significant financial investment and a log truck certification is not generally required to work. It likely remains that there are people interested in learning about driving a log truck who don’t feel confident in making a commitment without some understanding of what the job entails. In 2018 over 143,000 log trucks delivered logs to Idaho Forest Group’s (IFG) mills. Timely delivery to mill after the harvest of these logs is crucial to our operations. Logs that sit at forest sites too long lose value, are attractants for pests, hold up payments to landowners, and are potential fire hazards. As fire threat increases in the region, the recognition of this threat also grows, bringing with it more landowners wanting to manage…
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Sep 29

Steam Engine

By Community
Come check us out at the North Idaho State Fair! Our "Steam Team" will be demonstrating the vintage steam engine sawmill today at 4:30pm and tomorrow at 12:00pm and 3:00pm. Hope to see you there!
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Nov 01

A Sawmill Revolution

By News
High-tech wonders, they’re not your father’s sawmills As printed in the Sandpoint Magazine. In another century, my dad and I worked swing shift one winter on opposite ends of a sawmill. I pushed raw logs out of the dark waters of the millpond and into the mill. He pulled “green” boards into orderly piles on the stacker... Read Full Article
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Oct 29

IFG RECEIVES 2014 IDAHO PACESETTER AWARD

By News
IDAHO FOREST GROUP RECEIVES 2014 IDAHO PACESETTER AWARD AT GOVERNOR’S TRADE AND BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN BOISE Idaho Forest Group of Coeur d’Alene was the inaugural recipient of the Idaho Pacesetter Award Wednesday at the Governor’s Trade and Business Conference presented by Zions Bank in Boise. The State of Idaho and Zions Bank created the Idaho Pacesetter Award to recognize a company that demonstrates the state’s tradition of hard work and pride in a job well done. The award honors a Gem State company for its success, growth, leadership and contribution to the state’s economic vitality. "Idaho Forest Group exemplifies the can-do attitude of business leaders across Idaho, and is poised to accelerate into the future," said Zions Bank President and CEO Scott Anderson. "We applaud the leadership of Marc Brinkmeyer and Scott Atkison, who have grown Idaho Forest Group into one of the largest lumber producers in the nation and fueled job creation in northern Idaho." Idaho Forest Group was selected to receive the award by a committee of individuals representing state and federal agencies as well as representatives from Zions Bank. "We are grateful and honored to be part of this incredible event," said Idaho Forest Group President Scott Atkison, who accepted the award on behalf of the company at the conference. "We applaud the leadership of Scott Anderson and the entire team at Zions Bank for creating this platform from which Idaho companies are recognized and have an opportunity to learn from each other." The inaugural Governor’s Trade and Business Conference showed Idaho’s…
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Oct 09

Idaho Pacesetter Award – In The Press

By News
IFG named first recipient of Idaho Pacesetter Award As printed in the CDA Press. SANDPOINT - National business and political leaders acknowledged a top Idaho company Wednesday when Idaho Forest Group was named as the inaugural recipient of the Zions Bank Idaho Pacesetter Award. Read Full Article Zions, State of Idaho honor pacesetters As reported in the Idaho Business Review. Zions Bank and the State of Idaho recognized Agri Beef Co. with Idaho Global Pacesetter Award and the Idaho Forest Group of Coeur d’Alene with the Idaho Pacesetter Award at the inaugural Governor’s Trade and Business Conference on Oct. 22. Read Full Article
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