Governor Brad Little framed the agreement as the next step in a statewide shift toward landscape-scale, cross-boundary forest management. “Idaho once again is leading the nation in collaborative, innovative approaches to improving forestlands in Idaho, and we’re just getting started,” he said.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphasized the federal policy direction behind the move:
“For too long, federal red tape and hands-off policies left our forests overgrown and our communities at risk… By doubling timber production through Good Neighbor Authority and speeding up active management, we’re protecting Idaho families, supporting rural jobs, and making our forests stronger for generations to come.”
The new agreement supports Executive Order 14225, which calls for an immediate expansion of timber production, alongside the Forest Service’s national goal to raise timber harvest levels by 25% by FY2028. According to the Forest Service, climate-driven wildfire seasons continue to lengthen in the Mountain West, with suppression costs now exceeding $2.8 billion annually nationwide—reinforcing the need for proactive treatment rather than reactive spending.
The expanded agreement establishes:
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the collaboration will “double the timber volume on National Forest System lands that is offered by the state through the Good Neighbor Authority, all while reducing wildfire risk across the state.”
IDL Director Dustin Miller added that the agreement “presents new opportunities to significantly expand timber production and reduce wildfire risks across the most threatened forests in Idaho.”
Idaho has become a national reference point for the Good Neighbor Authority model, which allows states to perform management work on federal lands. Since 2016, IDL has:
This production scale is among the highest reported GNA outputs in the country. Western states using GNA—Idaho, Utah, and Colorado among them—are increasingly central to federal wildfire-risk reduction strategies, particularly as the Forest Service’s 10-year wildfire crisis plan faces budget and workforce constraints.
As Idaho accelerates active management, a broader challenge emerging in U.S. forest policy adds nuance to the state’s approach: the risk of carbon leakage. This occurs when increased timber harvest in one region—or reduced harvest elsewhere—shifts emissions rather than achieving net reductions. With Idaho aiming to reach 100 million board feet annually within five years, understanding this dynamic is becoming increasingly important.
Research on forest carbon cycles shows that thinning and fuel-reduction projects can meaningfully improve wildfire resilience and restore forest structure, yet they also alter long-term carbon storage. Without lifecycle accounting that considers harvested wood products, regrowth rates, and potential displacement of wood demand to areas with weaker environmental standards, large-scale programs may inadvertently increase overall emissions.
The Shared Stewardship model is explicitly outcome-driven, focusing on the intersection of wildfire mitigation, timber markets, and community resilience. The 2025 update goes further by clarifying shared decision-making responsibilities and expanding financing mechanisms—an essential component as restoration backlogs grow.
Outside analyses show that reducing small-diameter fuels and restoring forest structure tend to improve watershed stability, protect transmission corridors, and lower long-term emergency response costs. Rural communities dependent on forestry jobs also benefit from steadier timber output and more predictable project pipelines.
The State of Idaho and the Forest Service will use the Idaho Forest Action Plan, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and National Forest 5-Year Vegetation Management Plans to coordinate upcoming projects.
The full signed agreement is available on the Idaho Governor’s website.
