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Idaho loggers, county commissioner urge faster timber salvage after large wildfires
Summary
Presenters at the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee hearing called for expedited salvage logging and cross‑boundary rehabilitation to recover merchantable timber, reduce erosion risks and speed forest recovery after recent fires in Western Idaho.
Vicki Purdy, Adams County commissioner, and Mark Mahon, co‑owner of Mahon Logging, told the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee that timber affected by recent wildfires must be removed quickly to preserve market value and reduce downstream hazards.
Purdy said salvage and active management are needed to protect rural communities and local economies. "We need to be able to use our natural resources in order to make a living or our rural communities will continue to die," she said. Mahon described burned timber on the Payette National Forest and argued salvage should focus on roadside corridors while the wood remains merchantable: "We need to be salvaging this…
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