SALT LAKE CITY — When trees and brush are removed to reduce wildfire risk, all that leftover material has to go somewhere. Traditionally, much of it is burned in piles. But a Utah company is trying a different approach: turning that debris into something that can benefit the environment. It's called biochar, and the process is being used in Park City's Thaynes Canyon as part of a forest-thinning project. Circle Forestry owner Al Spadafora said he saw an opportunity to make traditional forest-management practices more efficient, cleaner and safer. “Anybody who lives in the mountain communities is familiar with pile burning. But I just saw an opportunity to, where possible, do it a little bit better, more efficient, a little cleaner, a little safer,” Spadafora said. What is biochar? Biochar is a carbon-rich material made by heating wood and other organic material in a specialized kiln. The process uses a controlled flame cap to burn off combustibles and smoke while leaving behind char instead of turning all the material into ash. Darren McAvoy, an associate professor of forestry with Utah State University Extension, said the kilns are loaded with branches, logs and other forest debris, then lit from the top...

🌳 This Country Cuts Down Trees for a Living. Yet, Its Forests Have Doubled in Less Than 100 Years. Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? But that's the story of Sweden, one of the world's leading forest...

Sandpoint District Ranger Andrew Scallon said the Sandpoint-area project (referred to in the transcript as the 'chloride gold' project) will treat just north of 16,000 acres, with a decision expected by year‑end and first timber sale offerings in fiscal 2028 Q1; the district anticipates about 80,000,000 board feet over 10–15 years.

Staff described several timber-sale contracts (Banana Peel, Serviceberry, Pinto Bean) sold this year, estimating roughly 2,000 loads that will travel Cottonwood Road from Montezuma County and could affect eastbound traffic near county gates.

The Commission approved staff’s recommendation to delegate authority to the Director to approve sale of merchantable timber at Riverside State Park; the motion included direction that cash proceeds be reinvested into natural resource stewardship and interpretive activities. Motion was moved by Sophia Danenberg and approved unanimously.

LUDLOW — The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is seeking public input on a draft Long-Range Management Plan for Okemo State Forest. The plan will guide future decisions about forest management, wildlife habitat, recreation, and conservation across nearly 8,000 acres of public land. Vermonters are invited to review the proposed management activities in the draft plan and submit comments from October 26 through December 10. An in-person public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 9 at the Ludlow Town Hall to present the draft plan and gather feedback. Situated in the southern Green Mountains, Okemo State Forest covers 7,983 acres across the towns of Andover, Ludlow, Mount Holly, and Weston. It features large blocks of contiguous forests and important recreation opportunities (e.g., Healdville Trail, Buttermilk Falls, Okemo Mountain Resort) and is home to the Terrible Mountain Natural Area. The forest also functions as a critical link in the Southern Vermont Wildlife Corridor, supporting wide-ranging wildlife species, such as black bear, moose, and bobcat. Long-range management plans guide land management on state-owned public lands for a 20-year period, balancing ecological, recreational, cultural, and economic values. A public scoping meeting was held in December 2025 to provide background...

The board approved two DNRC timber sales: Elk Veil (minimum bid $12/ton; ~ $60,228 to Common Schools trust plus ~$23,991 in forest improvement fees) and Mount John (estimated 24,085 tons with a minimum bid of $19.39/ton, generating ~$467,008 and ~$99,712 in improvement fees).

A 30-year forestry experiment in Australia found that heavily thinned mountain ash forests grew unusually large trees while recovering enough carbon to match or exceed untouched areas. The results suggest carefully managed thinning could support timber production, wildlife habitat, and carbon storage at the same time.

Sublette County presented a cross‑jurisdictional fuels-reduction strategy and a $642,000 Wood Innovations grant to expand a local sawmill’s capacity from roughly 5,000 to 7,500 cords and add seven employees, leveraging state and federal forest-health grants.

DNR staff described the FHRA's structure, cumulative distributions to trusts, and additional funding sources used for noncommercial treatments; staff said the account provides flexibility to subsidize marginal or costly forest-health work.

Facilitators and working groups proposed finalizing a consolidated public two‑pager on the mountain pine beetle–fire nexus; task force members asked for minor edits, cross‑agency sign‑off, and an expedited editorial pass so the document can be published and used by members.

County officials said hardwoods downed by Hurricane Helen created increased fuel loads that could raise wildfire intensity for 15+ years; officials cited regional damage ("over 800,000 acres") and said Caldwell County recorded 490 acres of major woodland damage.

Madison County forestry representative briefed the commission on a draft EIS for the Forest Service roadless rule, recommended supporting 'Alternative 3' with fixes, and noted the EIS comment deadline was extended to Oct. 6. He also warned about proposed changes to the travel rule and potential repercussions of shifting fire management out of the Forest Service.

The county voted to submit a comment letter urging rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in favor of a Montana-specific approach, arguing the rule limits wildfire risk-reduction tools, restricts access across 639,000 acres, and imposes fiscal burdens on the county.