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Idaho officials OK big increase in logging state lands

The Idaho Land Board on Tuesday voted to ramp up harvest on the state's forests over a four-year span.
Logging in an Idaho forest

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho officials are increasing logging on state lands by more than 30 percent and plan to build a seed orchard in northern Idaho to plant trees to replace those cut down.

The Idaho Land Board on Tuesday voted to ramp up harvest on the state's forests over a four-year span to bring in about $20 million more annually for beneficiaries, mainly public schools.

Officials with the Idaho Department of Lands told Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little and other Land Board members that a better method of inventorying the state's timber holdings found significantly more timber available for cutting.

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The Lands Department says cutting mature stands will reduce the risk of loss due to disease, insects and wildfires.

The board also approved a $165,000 plan by the Lands Department to start a seed orchard near Lewiston to provide western larch and Douglas-fir seed.

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