Idaho Department of Lands details timber revenue, wildfire costs and staffing shortfalls; asks legislature for suppression funding

Dustin Miller, director of the Idaho Department of Lands, told the House Research and Conservation Committee that IDL distributed ‘‘a little more than $100,000,000 to the endowment beneficiaries’’ in fiscal 2024, including ‘‘a little more than $62,000,000 to Idaho’s public schools.’’

Miller said those distributions come from income tied to state endowment lands and the permanent endowment fund and stressed that timber sales remain the department’s primary revenue source. He said the Land Board last year approved a timber-sale offering level the department will hold for five years and that the forest asset management plan sets sustainable annual harvest volumes.

The update focused heavily on wildfire: Miller said IDL protects roughly 9,000,000 acres under its protection boundaries and described 2024 as an active fire year. ‘‘In 2024, 02/2001 human caused fires, 122 lightning caused fires for a total of about 3 23 fires, burning about 50,000 acres’’ within IDL protection boundaries, he said; statewide, Miller told the committee, nearly a million acres burned and about 80% of that was on federal lands.

Why it matters: IDL manages roughly 2,500,000 acres of endowment land whose income supports public beneficiaries, primarily K‑12 schools. Rising suppression costs and longer fire seasons can reduce net land income and increase demands on the state budget.

Miller summarized fire-season costs and federal reimbursement, saying the department’s estimate for 2024 fire costs was ‘‘a little more than $62,000,000’’ of which about $11,000,000 is reimbursable to the state, leaving a net obligation of ‘‘about 51 and a half million dollars’’ for the state. He told the committee the governor’s budget includes a $60,000,000 supplemental to replenish the wildland fire suppression account plus an ongoing $40,000,000 item intended to reflect an emerging average cost.

Miller described workforce and readiness challenges. On the metric for engines ‘‘fully staffed with qualified crews’’ the department’s target is 75% but the actual rate was about 40%, he said, citing competition from federal agencies, pay and seasonal-housing limits. He described a bonus program the governor funded last year to improve recruitment and retention and said the state continues to examine compensation and staffing models.

Coordination with federal partners was a major focus. Miller highlighted the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program created under the 2015 Farm Bill and said IDL now has agreements with six of Idaho’s seven national forests. He told lawmakers that roughly 24% of Forest Service timber volume sold statewide last year was sold through the GNA via IDL. He also described the broader interagency framework under the Stafford Act master fire agreement used during multi‑jurisdictional incidents.

On preparedness and technology, Miller said IDL is expanding a fire‑detection camera program that can detect smoke faster than human observers, and that the department is increasing aviation expertise as it manages contracting and aircraft at multiple tanker bases. He said the department maintains a complement of aircraft including single‑engine air tankers, amphibious water‑scooping planes and, this year, a type 1 helicopter.

In response to committee questions, Chris Anton, manager of investments for the Endowment Fund Investment Board, explained fund mechanics: IDL land revenues go into an earnings reserve while proceeds from land sales or permanently depleting mineral royalties flow into the permanent corpus. Anton said the permanent fund is managed to preserve real value over time and that excess investment gains above inflation may be swept into the earnings reserve to support distributions and volatility management.

Committee members pressed Miller on salvage after wildfire, timber value loss, and the department’s ability to staff and deploy equipment. Miller said the department tracks timber loss, works quickly to offer salvage sales when appropriate, and uses permanent staff with fire qualifications to staff equipment when seasonals are not available.

Looking ahead, Miller said the department is pursuing strategic planning for the fire program, including targeted fuel‑reduction projects on federal lands through GNA, improved aviation management, expanded camera detection coverage, and continued workforce measures.

Ending: Miller said IDL will continue briefings to the legislature as budget decisions and wildfire planning move forward.