More Than 22,000 Acres of North Idaho Forestland Permanently Protected Near Mount Spokane

Inland Empire Paper Company voluntarily gave up the right to subdivide or develop 22,352 acres of working forestland in Bonner and Kootenai counties, completing a $26 million federal conservation deal that keeps timber crews working and opens the ridge permanently to hikers, hunters and mountain bikers.

The transaction marks the first phase of the Spirit of Mount Spokane Forest Legacy Project, completed through a Forest Legacy conservation easement funded by the federal Forest Legacy Program. Inland Empire Paper Company retained full ownership of the land along with its tax obligations and will continue managing the property for sustainable timber production under a Forest Stewardship Plan, as required by the Idaho Forest Practices Act. The company satisfied the program's required 25 percent nonfederal match by donating the easement value itself.

"The Spirit of Mount Spokane Conservation Easement allows us to continue managing this land as a working forest," said Chris Robinson, President and General Manager of Inland Empire Paper Company. "This land supports a 100% renewable and sustainable natural resource. Ensuring this land is protected from future development is a win for the region, and the local communities it surrounds."

The conserved parcels occupy a forested ridge with views of Mount Spokane, about 30 minutes from both Coeur d'Alene and Spokane. That proximity has intensified subdivision pressure as North Idaho's population grows, and Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller noted that keeping large, contiguous forestlands intact reduces wildland-urban interface expansion and supports wildfire management efforts across the region.

Permanently protecting that block also strengthens wildlife movement between Mount Spokane State Park and nearby Idaho Endowment Trust Lands, benefiting moose, elk, deer, turkey, black bear and westslope cutthroat trout. The easement covers a portion of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, a sole-source aquifer providing drinking water to more than 675,000 people across Spokane County, Washington and Kootenai County, Idaho.

Under the easement's access terms, the land is permanently open for non-motorized recreation, including hunting, hiking, mountain biking, berry-picking and wildlife viewing. Motorized vehicles remain allowed under Inland Empire Paper Company's existing permit system for road maintenance and timber operations.

"Protecting working forests like these means protecting the benefits they provide to people and communities," said David Weinstein, Associate Vice President and Northern Rockies Program Director for Trust for Public Land.

The partnership includes Trust for Public Land, Inland Empire Paper Company, the Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Forest Service. Project partners indicated that future phases could expand the easement footprint beyond the initial 22,352 acres, with the multi-partner federal-state-private structure described as a potential model for conservation efforts across the Inland Northwest.