U.S. Forest Service details timber sales, limited salvage after Sunset Fire and explores county Good Neighbor Authority partnerships

Luke Hixson, a U.S. Forest Service representative, briefed the Water County Natural Resources Committee on recent and planned work in the Sandpoint and Priest Lake areas, saying the agency expects multiple timber sales and limited salvage following the Sunset Fire but no formal committee action was possible because the group lacked a quorum.

Hixson said the Dry Creek and surrounding project area will include roughly 12 planned sales across about 13,000 acres and stressed the work’s primary purpose is restoration and fire protection. "The general purpose and need of that project was restoration," Hixson said, adding that the work aims to convert declining stands of Douglas-fir and grand fir into more resilient forest and to reduce risk for lakeside communities.

He identified fisheries concerns in some planning units: Granite Creek and Johnson Creek support trout and, in Granite Creek’s case, resident bull trout. Hixson said Sandpoint South is a NEPA project with an anticipated decision this winter and an initial sale expected to be advertised next June as a GNA (Good Neighbor Authority) contract sale.

Addressing the Sunset Fire footprint, Hixson said most burned ground is inaccessible or economically infeasible to salvage but that a small area—about 37 acres on a bench off the 630 Road—remains viable if removed by early summer. "If we can get it by June, I can make money on it," he said, noting the narrow windows for economically feasible removal.

Hixson also discussed broader planning: the Buckskin project finished near Granite Creek and a follow-on planning area would continue work across adjacent country; a larger planning effort on the south portion of the Priest Lake Ranger District could involve about 35,000 acres of potential treatments.

On partnerships and capacity, Hixson said the Forest Service chief has urged expansion of GNA agreements and that Boundary County has expressed interest in taking on road maintenance and some timber-sale support under such agreements. He cautioned that county or tribal participation requires substantial accounting, infrastructure, and reliable funding streams. "You take a lot of taxpayer money, so... the pitfalls with NGOs is... you take a million dollars into something and not gotten anything out of it," Hixson said, urging accountability for public funds.

Hixson warned that market and legal risks could constrain activity: mill prices have not kept pace with rising costs, international trade and tariff developments add uncertainty, and litigation—particularly related to grizzly bears—has stalled or delayed projects elsewhere. He said grizzly-related court decisions can effectively halt projects for years and reduce the willingness of contractors to bid.

Committee members thanked Hixson for the briefing, discussed next steps for local outreach to county commissioners, and noted plans to recruit additional advisory-board members and consider electing a vice chair. Because there was no quorum, the committee took no formal votes; Hixson said he would follow up with Boundary County commissioners and the committee’s liaison about next steps.

The update closed with the committee lodging the report for information and planning follow-up work and meetings in coming months.