Forestry & Range

New Forestry Program

The Asotin County Conservation District is offering a new Forestry Cost Share Program to forest landowners and to home and cabin owners in the forested area of the county. The program has two objectives. One is to cost share with landowners to modify forest vegetation around homes and subdivisions to provide defensible space against wildfire threats. Secondly it provides cost share money for timberland owners that want to improve their timberlands. This program is funded with a grant from the U. S. Forest Service.

Here is how the program works. We meet on your property and figure out what work is going to be done to meet the objectives of the program. You do the work or contract the work out and the Asotin County Conservation District will reimburse 50% to 75% of your actual cost up to a limit for each practice. You or your contractor keep track of your labor and materials and submit a bill when the work is complete.

Practices the district will be cost share include:

• fuels reduction work to provide defensible space around structures and fuel breaks to protect subdivisions
• pre- commercial thinning, pruning, brush control, and slash disposal to improve the health of the forest.

Please contact Mike Miraglio at the District – 509-758-8012 or email mikeaccd@cableone.net for more specific information about the program or to schedule a site visit.

New Washington Farm Forestry Association Chapter for Forestland Owners

Dayton, Wash. – September 3, 2009 – Forestland owners in Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties are invited to join the new Blue Mountain Chapter of the Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA). The inaugural meeting for the WFFAchapter will be held Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 7:30 pm in the library in Dayton, Wash. 

The WFFA promotes educational programs, improving forest stewardship and increasing awareness of family-owned forests. WFFA represents forest landowners in Olympia to promote the interests of family-owned forestlands.

For more information about the WFFA and the new Blue Mountain Chapter contact the WFFA at 360-736-5750, or e-mail info@wafarmforestry.com. Local contacts are Greg and Susan Kelly. They can be reached at 509-520-4579.

CONTACT:
Susan Kelly
gnstimber@yahoo.com
509-520-4579
P.O. Box 131
Dayton, WA 99328