Ecosystem Science and Land Stewardship
UI Extension, Clearwater County provides educational programs and information to land owners and managers to help them increase economic and ecological benefits. Better use and management of forests, rangelands and pastures can have many payoffs:
- Reduce noxious weeds
- Reduce fire danger
- Improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity
- Improve forest conditions
- Give economic return to land owners and local communities
Topics
Learn about pasture and rangeland management and health, grazing, techniques for improving forage for livestock and wildlife and reducing weeds. Find out how to integrate forest management and grazing.
Publications
- Idaho Forage Handbook, BUL547
- Idaho’s Noxious Weeds, BUL816
- Pasture and Grazing Management in the Northwest, PNW614
- Reading and Understanding Pesticide Labels, BUL908
- Water and Rural Living: What Idaho Homeowners Need to Know, BUL905
Example Workshops
- Dry-land Pasture Management
- Current Topics of Pasture and Rangeland Health
- North-Central Idaho Hay Day
Learn how to apply principles of land stewardship for both economic and ecological objectives. Topics include:
- Forest ecology and managing for forest resiliency
- Climate change adaptation for landowners and managers
- Natural resource management principles for rural landowners
- Natural resource planning
- Economics of timber management
- How to conduct a timber sale
- Forest insect and disease identification and management
- Wildlife management for rural landowners
- Purchasing and managing rural property
Publications
- Secondary Bark Beetle Mortality in Douglas Fir (PDF)
- Forest Landowners Tax Guide (PDF)
- Mistletoes and Dwarf Mistletoes (PDF)
- Mountain Pine Beetle (PDF)
- Pine Engraver Beetle (PDF)
- White Pine Blister Rust: Pruning Can Increase Survival (PDF)
Example Workshops
- So You Want to Buy a Ranch? Rural Land Purchasing 101
- Conducting Your Own Timber Sale
- Integrated Natural Resource Planning for Rural Landowners: Creating Your Own Forest Plan
Reduce the risk of wildfire losses. Recover timber and other natural resources if wildfire does occur.
- Fire behavior and firefighter decision-making in the wildland-urban interface (WUI)
- Landscaping and construction techniques that reduce fire risk around your home and outbuildings
- Recovering your land after wildfire
- Reducing wildfire risk at the landscape scale
Publications
- After the Burn: Assessing and Managing Your Forestland After a Wildfire, SB76
- Douglas Fir Survivability (PDF)
- Grass Seeding Forest Roads, Skid Trails and Landings in the Inland Northwest, PNW628
- Living With Fire: A Guide for the Homeowner (PDF)
- Ponderosa Pine Survivability (PDF)
- Protecting & Landscaping Homes in the Wildland/Urban Interface (PDF)
- Reducing Fire Risk on Your Forest Property (PDF)
- Thinning — An Important Management Tool (PDF)
- Wildfire: Recovery Tips for Idaho (PDF)
Example Workshops
- Reducing Fire Risk in the Wildland-Urban Interface
- After the Fire: Grass Seeding Forestland After Fire
- After the Fire: Salvage Logging and Erosion Control
Over half of Clearwater County's forests are in federal ownership and approximately 80 percent of Idaho's forests are owned by the federal government. Federal and state natural resource policies dramatically influence economic and ecological conditions in rural Idaho.
We participate as members of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative to work with community leaders, environmental groups and forest products industry representation to craft sustainable solutions to natural resource management issues on federal land to improve the economic and social health of local communities while creating ecological conditions that people value.
There is growing interest among consumers and growers for food produced and sold locally, often from small-scale operations. We offer a workshop series each year that brings in speakers to address topics that will help local growers become more successful. We also have provided workshops on viticulture and are planning a workshop on livestock for the small-acreage landowner.
Publications
Workshop Materials for Download
- Beef Cattle 101 (PowerPoint) (PDF)
- Nutrient Requirements for Beef Cows During the Winter Feeding Period (Over the Wire, January 2018) (PDF)
- Designing a Bud Box for cattle Handling (Kansas State University MF3349) (PDF)
- Estimated Costs for Livestock Fencing (Iowa State University FM-1855) (PDF)
- Loading and Hauling Cattle Safely (Over the Wire, November 2011) (PDF)
- Bark beetles (pdf)
- Bark beetle prevention chart (jpg)
- Cydia laricana pest (pdf)
- Defoliators (pdf)
- Digital field guide (pdf)
- Douglas fir beetle fact sheet (pdf)
- Douglas fir tussock moth (pdf)
- Dwarf mistletoe (pdf)
- Fir engraver beetle fact sheet (pdf)
- Management guide (pdf)
- Mountain pine beetle fact sheet (pdf)
- Needle disease firs (pdf)
- Pine engraver fact sheet (pdf)
- Pine needle diseases (pdf)
- Root disease (pdf)
- Western hemlock looper (pdf)
- Western pine beetle fact sheet (pdf)
- (Appendix A) Forest Stewardship Plan/One-Plan Template: Plan Preparer Instructions (PDF)
- (Appendix J) National Forest Stewardship Resource Elements (2013) (PDF)
- Basic Forest Inventory Techniques for Family Forest Owners, PNW630
- Computer Mapping Sotware & Websites (PDF)
- Enhancing Wildlife Habitat from Washington SWCD (PDF)
- Forest Management Goals Developing Your Goals (PDF)
- Google Earth and Other Free Mapping Applications for Foresters (PDF)
- Landowner Forest Stewardship Plan or One Plan Writing Guide (PDF)
- Management Planning for the Family Forest Owner, CIS1141
- Managing Forestlands in Washington (PDF)
- Managing Your Woodlands (PDF)
- My Forest Stewardship Values (PDF)
- Silvicultural Systems for the Major Forest Types of North Central Idaho (PDF)
- Terminology for Forest Landowners (EB1353) (PDF)
- Backyards for Wildlife (PDF)
- Managing Small Woodland for Cavity Nesting Birds (PDF)
- Wildlife in managed Forests Deer and Elk (PDF)
- Enhancing Wildlife Habitat (PDF)
- Wildlife Damage (PDF)
- Truth about Idaho Predators and Livestock (PDF)
- Family Forests and Wildlife: What You Need to Know (PDF)
- Incorporating Wildlife Needs into Forest Management Plans (PDF)
- Backyard Wildlife Habitats (PDF)
- Idaho's Forestland Taxation Law (PDF)
- Tax Categories with Descriptions (PDF)
- Goal Setting Activity Sheet (PDF)
- A Land Manager's Guide for Creating Fire-Resistant Forests (PDF)
- Reducing Hazardous Fuels on Woodland Property: Thinning (PDF)
- Well Owner's Manual (PDF)
- Small-Scale Livestock Production (PDF)
- How Many Animals Can I Graze on my Pasture? (PDF)
- Pasture and Livestock Essentials (PDF)
- Living on a Few Acres (PDF)
- Mapping Your Land: An Overview for Landowners (PDF)
- Compact Tractor (PDF)
- Safe Tractor Operation (PDF)
- Fencing (PDF)
- Water and Rural Living: What Idaho Homeowners Need to Know, BUL905
- Enhancing Wildlife Habitat: Tips for Small Acreages in Oregon (PDF)
- Fences for the Farm (PDF)
- A Primer for Timber Harvesting (EB1316) (PDF)
- (Appendix 3) Timber Sale Contract Checklist for Private Landowners and Loggers (PDF)
- Compaction Hazard Related to Moisture Content for Klickson and Similar Soils (PDF)
- Designing Woodland Roads (Oregon EC1137) (PDF)
- Estimating Soil Moisture by Feel and Appearance (USDA NRCS 2001) (PDF)
- Grass Seeding Forest Roads, PNW628
- Idaho Forestry Best Management Practices Field Guide, BUL891
- Log Scaling in Idaho (2015) (PDF)
- Logging Selectively, PNW534
- Lumber Mills in the Area (PDF)
- Managing Your Timber Sale (Washington ER1818) (PDF)
- Northwest Natural Resource Consultants Directory (PDF)
- Potentially Unstable Slopes and Landforms (IDL FPA10) (PDF)
- Rules Pertaining to the Idaho Forest Practices Act
- Sample Log Purchase Agreement (PDF)
- Silviculture Powerpoint (PDF)
- Soil Compaction on Woodland Properties (Oregon EC1109) (PDF)
- Take the Risk out of Slash Burning (IDL Fire 2) (PDF)
- Terminology for Forest Landowners (Washington EB1353) (PDF)