For more than 100 years, the Potlatch Corp. has given the public free access to its 670,000 acres of timber land for recreation, but a representative from the company told the Idaho Legislature on Wednesday its policies are likely to change.
"The future will not be the same as the past," said Mark Benson, Potlatch's director of public affairs.
Benson said the company is looking at several options, including restricting access and activities on its lands, possibly charging fees to use its lands, or leasing its lands to individuals or groups.
The company spends about $300,000 annually on repairs and maintenance from public use, including damage to gates and roads, or removing trash and junked vehicles, Benson said.
Potlatch wants to make more money from its property, and it currently leases its lands in Arkansas and Minnesota for hunting and other use.
Benson said Potlatch lands in other states earn between $4 and $7 per acre per year. Based on that, he estimated that Idaho lands could be worth about $3 million annually.
But he said Idaho lands are interspersed with public lands and often difficult to distinguish. Most Potlatch lands are not marked or fenced, he told legislators.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game has a program call Access Yes that pays private landowners for hunting and fishing access, but Potlatch's $3 million figure is more than six times the department's current budget for land access.Idaho Statesman
