Northern Region Site
Washington Office Site
USDA Site
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Current Conditions
Many forest recreation sites have now been closed for the season.
- Specific closure information for the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District is available here.
- We encourage you to contact the Ranger District Offices ahead of your visit throughout the fall to find out the latest information on recreation site closures.
- Current fire information is available on the Coeur d'Alene Interagency Dispatch Center website: gacc.nifc.gov/nrcc/dc/idcdc/.
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Your Safety is Important to Us
This past winter the state of Idaho enacted legislation that allows individuals to operate off-highway vehicles (OHV) on National Forest System roads, whether or not they have a driver's license. When traveling on National Forest System roads to or from your favorite camping or hunting spot, you may encounter other drivers of all ages with varying experience levels and different types of motorized vehicles. Please take extra care to watch for all kinds of traffic to avoid life-altering collisions on roads managed by your national forest.
We are working with elected officials and interested publics to identify legislative solutions that will help protect both the opportunity for OHV recreation and all of our visitors
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Forest Plan Amendments for Motorized Access Management within the Selkirk Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones
This document proposes to change the Kootenai, Lolo, and Idaho Panhandle National Forests Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans) by amending the objectives, standards, and guidelines that address grizzly bear management within these two Recovery Zones. Public comments must be received by June 22, 2009.
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  Grizzly Bear Amendment
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Smokey Bear is 65
Smokey Bear turns 65 this year. Since 1944, Smokey has educated generations of Americans about their critical role in wildfire prevention through his message, "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." Smokeybear.com - a web site sponsored by the Ad Council, U.S. Forest Service, and National Association of State Foresters - is a rich source of information and resources about Smokey. At smokeybear.com you'll find a kid's section with games and stories, a vault that contains stories and imagery of and about Smokey over the past 60 years, teacher's resources, and valuable information on wildfire science and wildfire prevention. Celebrate Smokey's 65th birthday with us by using this resource to learn more about wildfires, the people who fight them, and your role in prevention.
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Our Rich Heritage
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests contain the traces of human history dating back thousands of years. Our Heritage web pages tell a portion the IPNF story through photos, articles and documents that have been produced since the Heritage program first began in the late 1970s.
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 Heritage Program
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Travel and Access Management
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are currently developing travel and access management plans for each national forest zone under its administration. These public travel planning projects include:
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![[photo]Photo of Selkirk Crest.](selkirksm.jpg "[photo]Photo of Selkirk Crest.")
![[photo]ATV riders on a forest road.](atvs_by_roadsm.jpg "[photo]ATV riders on a forest road.")
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In 2005, the Forest Service published a new rule for providing motor vehicle access to national forests and grasslands. The final rule (PDF-220k) requires each national forest and grassland to designate those roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicle use. The rule itself does not designate roads or areas for motor vehicles, but provides a framework for making those decisions at the local level. The purpose of our travel and access management planning efforts is to:
- Bring the current travel plan into compliance with laws, regulations and other higher level management direction.
- Designate a reasonable route system for motorized public access and recreation travel on the zone, considering both the quantity and quality of experiences provided, in balance with forest management objectives and resource concerns; and
- Identify the types of use and restrictions associated with each designated route.
Please visit the webpages for individual travel planning projects for more information.
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Geographic Information Systems
The IPNF uses geographic information systems technology (GIS) for many purposes - from mapping fire locations to identifying where forest types occur across the landscape. Over time, we will be adding many base map layers and associated tabular data to our online GIS library so check back often to see what is new.
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Your ForestGIS
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Forest Plan Revision
What is Forest Plan Revision? How can I be involved? The Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle National Forests' (KIPZ) Forest Plans are near the end of their intended 15-year life and over the next few years, the plans will be revised to reflect resource and social changes on both Forests as well as new scientific information. Public participation is essential in its success! Follow the links below to obtain current information on Forest Plan Revision process, public meetings and much more!
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Forest Plan Revision
IPNF 1987 Forest Plan
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News and Public Announcements
Meeting announcements, changes in office hours, road restrictions... You'll find it all in our press releases page!
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 Press releases
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What is the USFS, anyway?
The Forest Service is best summarized by its mission statement, "Caring for the Land and Serving People." But like any government agency its purpose and internal workings are not so apparent to the general public. Check out this page to learn a little more about "who we are and what we do!"
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 About the USFS
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What do you think?
We would like to know if there is anything you feel is missing from the site. Looking for certain information, and couldn't find it? Please tell us so that we can add that information in the future!
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