Idaho senator, USFS chief pitch collaboration, rather than selling forest lands

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell offered an alternative to selling off public land or transferring management to states as three Republican presidential candidates proposed in Boise last week.

The Forest Service, which manages 20 million acres in Idaho, has just proposed new planning rules that Tidwell said will save time, save money and make it easier for people to work together

But on Monday in Boise, Tidwell and Republican Sen. Mike Crapo pointed to the success of groups like the Clearwater Basin Collaborative, in which timber executives, local officials, environmentalists, sportsmen and motorized recreation advocates have been sitting down together to develop plans for restoring the national forests.