Around 25 students and other community volunteers are set to gather on Bald Mountain in Idaho this Friday to finish off the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project‘s goal to plant 3,000 tree seedlings, according to the Idaho Mountain Express. At this point, 2,300 seedlings have already been planted on the primary mountain of the Sun Valley ski resort.
“There is a two-week window in autumn before the snow flies for planting when moisture will ensure survivability. Last year we planted blister rust-resistant White Bark Pine Trees at the highest elevations on Bald Mountain. This year they will be planting lodgepole pines.” – Dani Southard, the Northern Rockies Manager of the National Forest Foundation, according to the Idaho Mountain Express
$1.2 million have been spent this year by the Stewardship Project in an attempt to strengthen the tree life on the mountain, involving the removal of dead and dying trees, the addition of 240 acres of bark beetle deterrent, weed treatments, and significant seedling planting efforts.
Fire risk on the mountain has seen a major increase in recent years, as several bug infestations have led to mass tree death. The Bald Mountain Stewardship Project was created as a joint effort between the National Forest Foundation, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Sun Valley Company in an effort to reduce these risks.
“Forested lands in Central Idaho’s Blaine County have seen a significant increase in forest decline over the last two decades due to insect and disease mortality. This has led to an uncharacteristic fire risk and contributed to the increase of two large area wildfires (2007, 2013) that threatened homes and infrastructure in Wood River Valley. The area has also experienced an exponential increase in noxious weed presence that threatens critical wildlife habitat.” – National Forest Foundation
This years tree-thinning created about 79 new acres of glade skiing on Sun Valley Resort, as well as producing just around 2,000 cords of firewood. 700 cords in total were donated Shoshone-Paiute and Shoshone Bannock reservations, while the leftover 2,300 were sold to local companies.
Image Credit: Sun Valley Resort via Facebook