Adam Calkins, Kemmerer District Ranger with the Bridger-Teton National Forest, spoke with SVI Media’s Dan Dockstader regarding upcoming projects in the district, including active and upcoming timber sales.

The full transcript of this interview can be found below.

(0:00) SBI Media in the Kemmerer District Ranger’s Office, Kemmerer, Wyoming, and we have Adam (0:05) Calkins, the District Ranger, with us. (0:07) Adam, you’re taking county officials and others on a tour of the Kemmerer Ranger District. (0:13) You have some projects in mind.
(0:14) What are you going to show them? (0:16) Yes, so we’ll be taking a variety of elected officials on a timber tour of the Kemmerer (0:22) Ranger District. (0:23) We want to showcase all of the active timber sales that we have, what the landscape looks (0:29) like after timber sales are completed, some of our pre-timber sale units that we have (0:35) that will be going up for bid later this year, and then as well as our brand new small timber (0:40) sale project idea, where we’ll be putting out five-acre timber sale units for folks to (0:47) be able to come in and purchase from the Kemmerer office. (0:49) You’ve been working on this for quite some time.
(0:51) Just explain to us everything from small to large. (0:54) Give us a sampling of what the elected officials might see on Thursday. (0:59) Yes, so one of the things that they’re going to see is the Allen Slide Rock timber sale, (1:04) which is just about 202 acres, and that’s going to be one of our larger timber sales (1:13) that will be going up for bid sometime this year, is the Hope.
(1:19) They’re going to see a lot of dead and down. (1:21) They’re going to see really thick timber and landscapes that are not robust and overly (1:27) healthy, that haven’t been as managed as we would like to see. (1:31) Commissioner Conley once said recently on SVI that when the roadless rule came about, (1:36) he said, this might give us a chance to get into some of that dead and dying timber.
(1:40) Your thoughts on that as a follow-up? (1:42) Yes, so hopefully we’re able to get into some of this timber. (1:45) We’ll see what ends up happening with the roadless rule repeal. (1:49) I know that’s a big topic right now.
(1:50) That’s something that the Secretary is working on, but I won’t speak too much to it until (1:57) it’s out. (1:58) Let’s talk specific to your district, some other samples of what’s out there that they (2:02) might see in this tour. (2:04) Yes, so they’re going to see the Squirrel Salvage Sale, which many people have driven (2:08) through.
(2:09) I’m sure it’s right there on the turnoff of the main Hamps Fork Road as you turn off to (2:14) head up towards Green Knoll. (2:16) That sale’s been going on for about three years. (2:19) This will be the last year of that sale, pending an extension.
(2:24) So they’ll see the work that’s been done the last two years, and then they’ll see the work (2:29) that they’re going to do this year. (2:31) And again, is that we do timber sales, we do timber production here on the Bridge of (2:36) Teton, and especially on the Kemmerer Ranger District. (2:38) As you get these out and businesses start to look at them, what’s the process? (2:43) Is this something this summer, next summer they do? (2:45) How do they fit this into their plans for the future and your plans? (2:49) Yeah, so this is something that they do.
(2:52) We’ll just put out an announcement, and then they’ll hold the sale. (2:55) Usually they’re a silent auction or a silent sale where there’ll be a location where everyone (3:01) can come in, and then they sit down and they’ll write out their bid after they’ve had a chance (3:05) to go up and look at the unit and what they think that it’s worth. (3:10) And so then whoever bids the right number will go ahead and be able to walk away with (3:16) that sale.
(3:16) Okay, very good. (3:18) Do you want to mention any other sales or do you want to give us kind of a wrap up closing (3:22) statement on what you’re doing with this project? (3:25) Obviously you’ve put a lot of work into it. (3:27) Yeah, so the specific one I want to talk about is our small timber sale idea.
(3:31) So this is something that myself and then Justin Laycock, the ranger up on the Graze (3:36) River District there in Afton, have been working on because we recognize that many folks are (3:43) looking for five, six acre timber sales that they can go in and they can get either for (3:49) firewood, a front yard sawmill, a I want to make bunk beds and furniture sort of sale. (3:56) And so that’s the main idea behind these small timber sales is to be able to have something (4:01) like that for the small local operator to be able to come in and buy five acres. (4:10) And we hope to have the first sale there in mid-August.
(4:15) And so an announcement will be coming out here shortly, hopefully in the next couple (4:18) weeks on the process for that. (4:20) And it’ll be the same. (4:21) We’ll have an auction or a bid process here in the Kemmerer Ranger District and where (4:26) folks are welcome to come in and put a bid out.
(4:29) And if they have the right bid, then they’ll go ahead and they’ll walk away with a five (4:34) acre timber sale that they can have and that they can go cut the timber and they can use (4:39) for what they wish. (4:41) So we’re really excited about that one. (4:42) We think that’s going to really change a lot of the way that we’re doing timber sales (4:47) in this area.
(4:48) You’ve been busy putting all this together. (4:50) Anything else you’d like to say as a wrap up? (4:52) Anything that we’ve missed on your work here? (4:54) And we do appreciate your work. (4:56) You’re staying late tonight here in the Kemmerer office to accommodate SVI.
(5:00) Any closing thoughts? (5:02) No, we’re really excited about the future. (5:04) I think there’s going to be, we’re hopeful there’s going to be more timber sales, (5:09) more timber production here on the Bridger-Teton. (5:12) That’s one of our big goals for this year is to start working on that.
(5:18) And so we’ll hopefully have here in the future more sales and more things for the public (5:24) and they can see us actively managing their national forest down here in Kemmerer and (5:28) across the Bridger-Teton. (5:30) Adam Calkins, District Ranger, Kemmerer Ranger District. (5:33) Dan Dockstader for SVI Media.