Idaho Fish and Game plans 132-acre Farragut harvest to improve habitat

Idaho Fish and Game plans to begin a 132-acre timber harvest within the Farragut Wildlife Management Area near Bayview in late January or early February 2026 to improve wildlife habitat, forest health and public safety. The agency described the work as a “multi-benefit forest management timber harvest” and said the operations “are expected to get underway in the coming days.”

The treatment area is located south of East Perimeter Road and west of North Perimeter Road. Idaho Fish and Game’s materials identify a broader 1,256-acre block of the WMA as the management unit for timber planning. The agency’s stated goals for the project include “increasing sunlight through the forest canopy,” “retaining wildlife habitat,” and “increasing wildlife diversity within the Wildlife Management Area.” Press materials add that crews will be “removing diseased trees, reducing fuel loads, and improving existing road systems in the area to support emergency services and first responders.”

Technical direction in Idaho Fish and Game’s timber management document outlines explicit silvicultural intent. The plan states: “Manage timber stands on the 1,256 acre block of the WMA to provide a mature forest for both game and non-game wildlife species.” It further directs managers to “Accelerate the conversion of seral, sparse canopied lodgepole pine stands to dense stands of large diameter grand fir and Douglas fir with canopy closure of at least 70% and an open understory,” and explains that this will “typically” be done by “harvesting mature to over mature stands of lodgepole pine with well developed understories of grand fir and Douglas fir.” The plan also calls for both precommercial and commercial thinning to develop the desired forest structure.

Operational safeguards and recreation protections are included in the management guidance. Staff are instructed to “Avoid timber harvest in high use recreation areas unless harvest fills an interpretive need or addresses a pressing management issue,” to “Establish buffers between logged areas and trails or other high use recreation areas where appropriate,” and to “Avoid the establishment of new roads/skid trails which could develop into unregulated foot/horse/bike trails.” Haul systems are to “Use existing roads/trails for haul systems wherever possible,” and crews should “Create obstructions between newly created access and the maintained trail system.”

One numerical detail merits attention: Idaho Fish and Game’s policy says to “Attempt to impact no more than 10% of the WMA on any given timber harvest entry.” Ten percent of the cited 1,256-acre management block equals 125.6 acres. The planned 132-acre entry is about 6.4 acres larger than that 10% benchmark; the agency’s materials provided do not explain whether an exception was granted.

For Kootenai County residents, the project promises fuel reduction, removal of diseased trees and improvements to existing roads that could aid fire and medical response. The plan also affirms management for both game and non-game species, noting that “some members of the public believe the WMA’s forest stands should be managed for the benefit of non-game bird species instead of white-tailed deer, a common game animal.” Idaho Fish and Game summed the objectives succinctly: “Overall, the project will benefit wildlife, habitat, forest health and public safety.” With winter operations slated to occur “in the winter,” residents should expect visible activity near Bayview in the coming days and watch for agency notices about access or short-term road work.