Frequently Asked Questions

There are several vendors in the Inland Northwest area that sell Access Permits to IEP timberlands. For a full list, please refer to our Recreational Use page.

If you see a fire on IEP timberland during the summer months (June through September), it is likely a wildfire that should be reported to the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) (208) 772-3283, or Washington Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) (800) 562-6010. However, if you see a fire during the wet seasons (October through May), it is likely the foresters burning slash to reduce wildfire risks and prepare sites for tree planting. This burning is permitted through the IDL or WADNR.

Generally, gates are open to full-sized vehicles (50 inches or wider) from Memorial Day through mid-November. We close our gates during the wet seasons to protect our roads from damage, such as rutting and erosion. This also helps protect streams by reducing sedimentation from damaged roads. • Recreational Use

Firewood can be collected for personal use on IEP timberlands. Since IEP manages a working forest, there are slash piles from recent harvests that have firewood material in them. Never cut from an organized deck of logs as these are stacked alongside the road to be hauled to a mill.

No. Overnight camping is not allowed on IEP timberlands.

Immediately after a timber harvest, there is typically an abundance of slash (branches, needles, and chunks of unusable logs) on the ground. While this may look “messy” to some, this material contains nutrients and organic matter that is critical to long-term soil health and wildlife habitat. Sometimes, to emulate a natural disturbance such as wildfire, foresters will burn some of the slash to reduce fire danger and prepare the site for replanting of native tree seedlings. After just a few short years, the “mess” is replaced with a young, thrifty new forest.

IEP is a long-term owner and manager of forestlands, which precludes regular land sales. After all, where would the forests of the future come from?” However, on occasion we have accepted unsolicited offers on parcels that have become surrounded by houses and are no longer appropriate for the production of forest products.

Yes! IEP has been in the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) since 1958. The American Tree farm System promotes responsible and sustainable forest management on the nation’s private forests. It is now an internationally-recognized certification system that meets strict third party verification and auditing standards. IEP timberlands are managed for multiple uses, such as water, wildlife, wood, and recreation. Come visit our forest and see sustainable forestry at work!

IEP foresters use a blend of forest regeneration methods, from natural regeneration (seed from leave trees) to artificial regeneration (planting seedlings from a nursery). We hand-plant about 500,000 native tree seedlings each year. The foresters choose which species mix is most appropriate for each individual site. We tend to plant the species that are most difficult to regenerate naturally or are under-represented in the forest such as; western white pine, western larch, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, and western red cedar.