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Committee approves bill raising private-forest structure surcharge to address wildfire costs
Summary
H 511 would raise the maximum structure surcharge on improved private forest parcels from $40 to $100 to help fund Idaho Department of Lands wildfire suppression and preparedness; industry groups and the IDL supported the change, and the committee advanced the bill with a do-pass recommendation (Vice Chairman Hart and Senator Kohl recorded nay votes).
Senator Woodward told the committee that H 511 revises Idaho Code § 38-111 to increase the structure surcharge on improved private forest land from a maximum of $40 to a maximum of $100, and referenced IDL maps and a whiteboard of incidents to show growth of structures outside city boundaries. He said the surcharge is intended to defray wildfire suppression costs attributable to improvements and that current rates are insufficient to support the fire protection program fund, with a funding shortfall expected around 2031.
Michele Andersen, Deputy Director of the Idaho Department of Lands, and representatives of Bennett Lumber Products, Manulife Forest Management, Molpus Woodlands Group, Stimson Lumber Company, Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho, and Idaho Forest Group testified in favor, citing higher fuel, equipment, and personnel costs and increased development in the wildland-urban interface. Senator Taylor moved the do-pass recommendation; the motion carried by voice vote, with Vice Chairman Hart and Senator Kohl requesting they be recorded as voting nay.
