$240K grant targets Tubbs Hill
A runner makes his way to the trailhead of Tubbs Hill as others begin their way the hill on Friday.
BILL BULEY/Press
A $240,000 grant is expected to reduce fire risks on Tubbs Hill.
The city of Coeur d’Alene said Friday that in collaboration with the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management and the Idaho Department of Lands, the grant is for fuel mitigation work.
"This initiative will not only help reduce the risk of fire in this treasured natural area but also improve forest health," a press release said.
The grant was approved a year ago. After a temporary freeze on grant funding, the project is now in the planning phase and will soon go out to bid, the release said.
Nick Goodwin, city forester, said fuel reduction work has been carried out before on Tubbs, but not to this extent.
"This is by far the largest-scale project we've done," he said.
He said the Western States Fuel Management grant funds will be used in part to clear and thin dead branches and brush, considered ladder fuels for forest fires. Some dead trees, not all, and snags will also come off the 165-acre hill that sits on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Goodwin said Tubbs trees face threats from native pests like the Ips beetles, and diseases like white pine blister rust. Drought also affects tree health and weakens them so they are "less likely to fight off these native pests."
Goodwin said overall, Tubbs Hill is in "good to fair health."
He said a main goal of the grant is to remove fuels adjacent to abutting properties like McEuen Park and near high-use trails to create fire breaks.
"It gives us a better chance of keeping it from moving into wild urban-interface areas," Goodwin said.
The work is targeted for completion by late 2026.
The Tubbs Hill Foundation is contributing $12,000, which Goodwin said was key to landing the grant that required a 10% match, monetary or in-kind.
The city will host a public information meeting to provide details and answer questions at 6 p.m. April 22 in the Coeur d’Alene Library Community Room.
Info: www.cdaid.org/7174
Editor's note: The grant figure has been changed to reflect the correct amount after the city initially provided the wrong figure.