Treatment planned for moth-damaged areas in the Payette National Foreset

Areas of the Payette National Forest that have been hard hit by a tussock moth infestation are scheduled for treatment to clear out dead trees in an effort to improve the health of the remaining trees and forest.
 Washington County commissioners recently were briefed on the extent of the tussock moth problem on the Payette National Forest and pending projects by Rhonda Bishop, the ranger for the Weiser and Council ranger districts.
 The Forest Service has identified five areas within the Weiser and Council ranger districts that will be addressed with restoration treatments. The treatment projects are in response to an “extreme” tussock moth outbreak. The projects also will address other disease and insect problems in the planning areas, including bark beetles.
 Forest Service spokesman Brian Harris said the moth infestation is a naturally occurring event and the insects show up every 10-12 years. They were first spotted in large numbers on the forest two years ago. The moths typically damage douglas fir trees, but much of the damage on the Payette National Forest has been with the grand fir trees.
 The moth caterpillars will defoliate a tree by eating its needles. A tree that loses 90 percent of its needles is under stress and may die. Some trees will recover from the moth damage. The trees that are damaged by tussock moths also can be weakened to the point that other insects, such as bark beetles, spruce budworm and others, will move in and further attack trees.
 Timbered areas in central Idaho owned by the Idaho Department of Lands have also been impacted by the tussock moth. The IDL is selling some of the damaged timber in the Packer John State Forest to control the moth outbreak and salvage some timber.
 Treating areas of the forest that have been impacted by moths does not involve a clear-cut approach. There are three or four types of trees found on an acre, such as ponderosa pine, grand fir and douglas fir. The treatment will only remove the insect-damaged trees, Harris said.
 Vegetation restoration treatments maximize the retention of large trees to promote stands that are resilient to insects and disease by restoring structure, function and composition of the timber stands, forest officials said.
 The insect-damaged trees that will be removed are wanted by the timber industry. Bug-damaged trees are worth more to lumber mills than fire-salvaged trees. Burned trees are dried out and can be difficult to cut at sawmills, while insect-damaged trees are green and retain moisture.
 “There is definitely value in those trees,” Harris said.
 There are five projects planned to treat tussock moth-affected areas on the Weiser and Council ranger districts on the Payette National Forest. The acreage noted represent project areas not acres proposed for treatment and may change.
 •Middle Fork Weiser River landscape restoration project. There are two areas: Skyrim (3,254 acres) and Iberia (2,347 acres). The NEPA reviews have been completed and timber sales will be awarded in late 2019 or early 2020.
 •The Little Weiser River Project is proposed at 12,434 acres.
 •Johnson Creek/Goodrich Creek is proposed at 8,805 and will be a Good Neighbor Authority project with the Idaho Deparment of Lands. There is IDL forest adjacent to Payette Forest that also has been impacted by moths.
 •The Little Pine Creek/Brownlee Creek Project is proposed at 1,986 acres.
 •The East Fork of the Weiser River has suffered less tree loss due to insect infestion than the other areas.
 The Forest Service can pursue insect projects on what is known as a categorical exclusion basis that allows for expediency without having to do full-blown environment reviews. The size of the project is limited to 3,000 acres if federal officials go that route.