A major project to revive a habitat while safeguarding against a key risk is gathering pace in Idaho.
Capital Press reported that the long-term project to reshape southern Idaho's landscape has made significant progress in the last year. Since 2022, public and private entities have successfully removed over 5,000 acres of juniper from sagebrush habitat, over 700 in the past year.
A Fish and Game habitat biologist, Brad Tycz, remarked, "It's definitely increasing forage for our wildlife."
Though juniper trees are certainly useful in the Gem State, they provide shelter, and their berries are a key food source in the winter for several birds and small mammals. They're very durable and tolerant of the cold. However, that resilience can be a problem for other plants. While juniper is not invasive in Idaho, when it encroaches on other habitats and forms dense pockets, other plants lose out. It also makes life difficult for grazing animals that populate the area, like deer, elk, and sage grouse.
Another issue is the plant's flammability; they contain oily resins that are highly combustible and present a huge risk for spreading wildfires. It's one of the reasons why some parched municipalities have urged homeowners to avoid using them in landscaping. Though interestingly, in this case, a lack of wildfires in recent years has been part of the problem.
As Tycz told Idaho News 6, "Without the fires for most parts, they have been expanding into the sagebrush and outcompeting sagebrush and some of our native grasses."
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Similar projects have attracted sharp criticism from environmental groups over the scale of the deforestation and the lack of proper review for smaller projects. While methods in this instance are in dispute, protecting and managing public lands is broadly popular. It serves as a good example of the importance of keeping up with the issues and getting involved locally.
A social media post about the project attracted supportive comments.
One said, "What a great approach to wildlife habitat improvement!"
Another added, "This is a cool project, the South Hills are awesome!"
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