Idaho to Auction off Tornado-Damaged Trees

[Sam Sagnella]

The US Forest Service has come up with a really interesting plan in the wake of the significant tornado that swept through Adams County, ID more than two weeks ago. The borderline F1-F2 tornado had a 12 mile long path that was nearly 1/2 mile wide at its widest (see PNS), and combined with the strong downburst nearby, knocked down an estimated ~27 million board-feet of wood (a piece of wood measuring one foot x one foot x one inch). The Forest Service says the downed trees create a slightly elevated wildfire hazard, but they are not planning large-scale salvage efforts to clear the timber until the end of the summer. A public auction is planned for this fall to sell the wood, which has an estimated net worth of $9 million, but some loggers are urging them to speed it up for fear that bark beetles could destroy the wood before then.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Tornado-strewn timber may pose fire threat
KTVB-TV: Tornado that struck Idaho possibly an F-2 storm (Pictures)

EDIT: This was the first Adams County tornado since 1992 and the strongest on record. A quick USGS elevation query, showed that the town of Bear is situated at roughly 4400 feet above sea level.

 

[B Ozanne]

This isn't too uncommon. There was a big salvage effort after Mount Saint Helens erupted. I remember a derecho that moved across the Adirondacks and prompted another logging auction. First time I have heard about a tornado driven timber salvage.