Idaho Plans to Plant 2.2 Million Trees

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho State Forester David Groeschl says the Idaho Department of Lands will plant a record 2.2 million tree seedlings on state endowment lands this year.

Endowment lands generate money for public schools and other institutions through timber harvest, mining and leases for agricultural use. Groeschl says that for every dollar the state spends managing state endowment lands it gets three in return. He says that many of the seedlings planted are resistant to some types of tree diseases.

Idaho's Forest Practices Act requires regeneration of a harvested area within five years. Earlier this month the state Land Board approved a 2014 plan calling for harvesting 249 million board feet of timber — the highest logging level in decades.