Citizens held with Shady Lane reforestation efforts

PALOUSE — Residents have come to the rescue of Shady Lane trees on Shady Lane being attacked by an infestation of Western Pine Beetles.

Palouse City Administrator Misty La Follett said a couple of residents applied for a grant from the Department of Natural Resources to fight the pine beetles.

Local residents, husband and wife, Al Pancoast and Kayla Johnston noticed Shady Lane trees were starting to die and contacted the city.

Pancoast said the grant came out to just over $100,000 to restore the forest.

“It’s a grant for the removal of dead and dying trees,” he said, noting they would also ensure the trees that remain are resilient to pests in the future.

“Shady Lane is about five acres (in town) and that’s all ponderosa Pine Forest,” said Johnston. “Over the last few years it has been experiencing an outbreak of Western Pine Beetle.”

Johnston said the beetles will attack other trees but their favorite is the Ponderosa Pine.

“They burrow into the bark and kill the vascular tissue that transports the water up,” she said. “The beetles destroy that and kill the tree that way.”

Johnston said her husband and her noticed the trees starting to die in 2021 with a couple of trees and 2022 a few more trees.

“Last year in 2023, it expanded quite rapidly,” said Johnston, noting it was at least 50 trees killed by the beetles.

After investigating, Johnston said her husband and her asked the city if they had a plan.

“We don’t have an urban forester,” she said. “My husband and I are both formally trained foresters, and so we started looking into what we could do about the dead trees.”

Pancoast said the city identified the grant for the couple.

“My wife and I wrote the grant and are pushing this forward,” he said. “We’re working actively on it right now.” The couple plans to remove the trees this fall and plant new trees this winter.

“We’re currently working through permitting,” said Pancoast. “We’re getting pretty close to the end of the prep work and permitting process.”

Johnston said a plan is in place to get the loggers out there and the reforestation plan put together but it is put off until November due to Haunted Palouse using the area.

They plan to add diversity including Douglas Firs and maybe some Larch.

“We’re thinking about trying to plant a couple of Spruce in there,” she said. “We have to find the right spot to put a Spruce, it needs a lot of water.”

Johnston said that a lot of people have thanked her and her husband for what they are doing.

“When you live in a small community, it is part of your duty to be engaged and involved and do what you can that’s important to our small communities,” she said, noting they are hiring out to local long time established businesses.

“I think that’s also really important, supporting small business as much as you can,” she said. “That helps with our small community prosperity.”