By law, 25% of federal timber sale revenues are returned to local counties to cupport Idaho's public schools and roads.

Idaho's Endowment Fund
In Millions of Dollars

State timber sales are the major contributor to Idaho's public school edowment fund.

National Forests

On federal lands, 25 percent of the value of each timber sale is returned to the counties in which the forest is located. By law, this money, which totaled over $14 million in 1997, must be used for schools and county roads. This eases everyone's tax burden.

State Forests

On state lands, 90 percent of the revenues from the sale of timber is deposited directly in the state's endowment fund to support public schools, universities and other public institutions. The remaining 10 percent is used for forest improvements such as reforestation. In fiscal 1997, the Department of Lands sold rights to harvest for $78.3 million worth of timber. As this timber is actually harvested and payment received, more than $70 million will be deposited into the endowment fund. Finally, private timberland owners, whether they're forest products companies, ranchers or farmers, pay property taxes on 3.2 million acres of forest land which are used, in large part, to support local schools.