IDL announces $7.5 project grant in Shoshone County

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) was recently awarded a landmark grant to complete a wildfire mitigation project throughout Shoshone County. 

According to a press release from IDL, the $7.5 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant from the U.S. Forest Service is the largest ever received by the agency and will fund the Shoshone I-90 Hazardous Fuels Project. 

The project will target 18,890 acres of high-risk forestland along the I-90 corridor and treat 1,275 acres of private property. Communities in the Silver Valley, including Kellogg, Wallace, Mullan, Pinehurst, Kingston, and Cataldo, will benefit directly. 

Shoshone County Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman said the project has been in development for several years, with collaboration between the county, IDL, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management to create a comprehensive fire mitigation plan. 

The press release notes that the area’s dense forests, expanding residential development, and limited road access make wildfire control increasingly difficult and dangerous. The project focuses on the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), a high-risk zone where fires can easily spread from wildland to neighborhoods. 

“This project builds on years of work with Shoshone County and is essential to addressing the goals of expanding wildfire risk mitigation efforts,” said Tyre Holfeltz, IDL Wildfire Risk Mitigation Program Manager. “It’s about making the landscapes of Shoshone County more resilient while reducing risk to communities by connecting and expanding similarly completed and planned efforts on private, state and federal lands.” 

Hazardous fuels reduction treatments, including thinning and creating fuel breaks, will be implemented to reduce wildfire impacts across the county. 

Project components are expected to begin in spring 2026 and wrap up by the end of 2030. 

Zimmerman said Shoshone County Fire Mitigation Director Bill McLeod will prepare information for residents, which will be available at the Shoshone County Courthouse. 

Landowners are encouraged to begin wildfire preparation efforts by reviewing resources from Idaho Firewise.