In the wake of an emergency declaration for wildfire risk issued June 2 (see “Commissioners declare emergency due to wildfire risk“), Boundary County Commissioners o n Monday submitted the following letter to Idaho Panhandle National Forest Supervisor Pat Gilloon:
“On behalf of the Boundary County Board of Commissioners, we are writing to formally request that the U.S. Forest Service initiate coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to invoke the emergency consultation provisions outlined in Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR §402.05), to authorize emergency logging and forest health operations in critical areas of Boundary County to prevent imminent loss of human life or property.
“Due to insufficient fuels mitigation which has reached hazardous levels in many forested areas under federal jurisdiction, pa1ticularly in the wildland-urban interface, significant threat of catastrophic wildfire is now imminent.
“Our county now faces an urgent threat to public safety, private property, and the long-term viability of federally managed forestlands. The deteriorating forest conditions have escalated beyond routine management, requiring immediate and decisive action to reduce hazardous fuel loads, remove dead and dying trees, and protect endangered species habitats from irreversible loss.
“We believe that these circumstances meet the threshold for an emergency under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which allows for expedited action to address situations involving threats to human life, property, and the environment. Emergency logging is necessary not only to mitigate the immediate risks but also to promote long-term forest resilience and ecological health in alignment with multi-agency land management goals.
“We respectfully request that the US Forest Service, in collaboration with the Fish and Wildlife Service, initiate an emergency consultation pursuant to ESA regulations, allowing urgent forest treatment activities to proceed while formal consultation continues in parallel. This approach will allow both the protection of endangered species and the prevention of an ecological or human disaster.
“The Boundary County Board of Commissioners stands ready to support this process in any way necessary, including the provision of additional documentation or participation in interagency planning efforts. We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to your prompt response.”