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Ask an Idaho Forester



Foresters and other resource professionals from throughout Idaho have agreed to answer your questions about Idaho’s forests. Whether you want to know about trees, wildlife, water, soil, forest products, or some other forest-related topic, this is the place to ask your question!

You can also learn many things from reading other questions and the foresters’ replies.
Visit this area of our site frequently. It’s sure to provide a good time for an inquisitive mind like yours!
Click on a topic above to see if your question has already been asked.
If you have another question, just click ASK HERE.


Trees & Forests  Ask a Question
  1. Q. What is the soil composition in which a Ponderosa Pine grows? What is the cost of seeding 800 acres?
  2. Q. How can you tell how old a tree cookie is?
  3. Q. (April 2001) I recently visited the Clearwater National Forest and am wondering what the large white flowering trees are.
  4. Q. We just planted a white pine tree seedling that my daughter received from school. How fast and big will it grow?
  5. Q. We are building a house in the South Hills which are about 12 miles South of Hansen. Which trees have the best chance of surviving in this area? Right now there are no trees on our land.
  6. Q. Why do evergreens stay green all year round?
  7. Q. How much tannin is in white pine?
  8. Q. We have 3 acres near Idaho City and there are several places that have groups of about 20 small ponderosa pine trees. They are about 10 feet tall. Can we transplant these to other areas on the property, and what time of year and size of tree is best for this?
  9. Q. How many years was your oldest tree and what tree was it?
  10. Q. What are some examples of the invasion of foreign species and their effects on Idaho's forests?
  11. Q. In the fall, the seasons trigger deciduous trees to not have as much chlorophyll in the leaves and turn colors, then fall. Why do most conifers keep their gree color? Why don't they have less chlorophyll in their needles, too, even though they keep their needles several years?
  12. Q. Do trees in the temperate rainforests have epiphytes like trees in the tropical rainforests?
  13. Q. Can a ponderosa pine always be identified by the vanilla scent in its bark?
  14. Q. What are some simple native tree identification tips for our visitors?
  15. Q. When is the greatest "growth period" for McCall (Idaho) area forests? If watering these trees is helpful during their greatest growth period, when and how often should they be watered?
  16. Q. Why are so many of the Tamarack trees around Yellow Pine and Cascade turning yellow in July 2000?
  17. Q. Are trees and other green plants the only source of the earth's oxygen?
  18. Q. Why do some trees like the red maple not grow well in some areas even though they are the right growing zone? What other factors need to be considered beside zone?
  19. Q. Will the forest industry let me go for a walk in their forest? Do I need special permission?
  20. Q. What is Idaho's state tree, and where does it grow in Idaho?
  21. Q. What is a "tree farm"?
  22. Q. What kind of tree makes the best firewood?

Forest Health  Ask a Question
  1. Q. Are forest fires always harmful? Other than nature, what are the leading causes of forest fires? Is logging bad, or is it helpful to prevent forest fires?
  2. Q. What is being done about the beetle epidemic in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area around Stanley?
  3. Q. We have 25 Austrian Pine trees and they have what has been determined as Pitch Moths. What can I put on these trees or in the ground at the root system to get rid of them?
  4. Q. I am a forest fire patrolman in Massachusetts and I am doing a program about reforestation after a fire has gone through. Can you give me some insights or websites to check out?
  5. Q. What disease or parasite attacks Ponderosa Pines at the crown?
  6. Q. Can logging benefit the health of a forest?
  7. Q. Are there "doctors" for sick forests?
  8. Q. When I drive by a forest with my family, how can we tell if it's healthy?
  9. Q. What is root rot and what can be done about it?

Forest Products  Ask a Question
  1. Q. I'm wondering about potential uses of discarded Christmas trees.
  2. Q. I am trying to date some lumber in a house. When did a 2 x 4 become a 1 ½ x 3 ½?
  3. Q. What is the process of manufacturing paper from log wood?
  4. Q. When was particle board first invented/manufactured?
  5. Q. Are Aspen trees a marketable timber product? How and where?
  6. Q. How much lumber can an average western white pine produce?
  7. Q. What are the latest methods being adopted in terms of recycling paper or wood resources?
  8. Q. What percent of national timber does Idaho produce annually?
  9. Q. What are the similarities and differences between products made from tree pulp vs. industrial hemp pulp? We were reading that some Idaho farmers would like to grow industrialized hemp as a cash crop. Would this affect the forest industry at all?
  10. Q. I am doing a project on recycled paper and I am having difficulty finding sites that will tell me many of the things I need to know.
  11. Q. How are trees used to make film?
  12. Q. What are some of the more innovative ways that forest product companies deal with effluent/wastes from their production processes?
  13. Q. How much paper can be made from a tree?
  14. Q. What is cellulose and how do they get it out of a tree and into so many products?

Fish & Wildlife  Ask a Question
  1. Q. What are foresters doing to protect habitat for endangered species such as grizzlies and wolves? Is logging compatible with protection efforts?
  2. Q. Are there any birds that frequently nest in the Western White Pine?
  3. Q. What are foresters doing to protect salmon habitat?
  4. Q. What do elk eat?

Managing Our Forests  Ask a Question
  1. Q. What are the effects of clearcutting on biodiversity?
  2. Q. How many trees are harvested in Idaho each year? What is the ratio of trees planted to trees harvested?
  3. Q. What would happen if all of Idaho's trees were cut down?
  4. Q. Instead of people, wouldn't it be better to let Nature manage the forest? Forests seemed to do fine before we were here.
  5. Q. What is forest management?

Logging  Ask a Question
  1. Q. What is the impact on a skid trail that has been used over and over? What would happen if the ground of the skid trail was broken up after the logging is over?
  2. Q. What steps should be taken by a landowner before logging their property?
  3. Q. Can logging benefit the health of a forest?
  4. Q. What is a "forwarder," and how is it used?

And Everything Else  Ask a Question
  1. Q. What is the chemical composition of lodgepole pine wood?
  2. Q. How do I get a permit for cutting firewood and maps of the area?
  3. Q. When I'm driving around in the mountains I see all kinds of different plastic tape hanging on various trees. Why does someone go around the forest hanging tape on the trees? Also, the tape is in lots of different colors. What do the colors mean?
  4. Q. Does the State of Idaho still offer forestry tax incentive programs to private landowners and why?
  5. Q. What is GIS? How is it used in forestry?
Get your questions answered by real Forest Professionals.
Whether you want to know about trees, wildlife, water, soil, forest products,
or some other forest-related topic, this is the place to ask your question!
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