The North Idaho Branch Office in Grangeville opened in July 2001 to assist with implementation of the National Fire Plan. The area covered by the North Idaho Branch includes the Idaho side of the Snake River downstream of the Hells Canyon Dam complex, the Clearwater River, the main Salmon River upstream to Mackey Bar. Most of the land base for these watersheds is administered by the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. As a result, the Branch deals primarily with Federal projects of the Cottonwood Bureau of Land Management, Clearwater National Forest, and the Nez Perce National Forest. However, the North Idaho Branch also works cooperatively with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Idaho Fish and Game, the Nez Perce Tribe, and private organizations. The goal of the office is to protect and enhance the habitat for salmon and steelhead by providing project technical support and consultations to the various federal agencies whose actions may affect salmon and steelhead and their habitats.

The North Idaho Branch deals primarily with improving and conserving aquatic habitat. High water temperatures and excessive sediment are the primary limiting factors in our stream environments, but other factors such as riparian function loss, lack of instream cover and woody debris, and road culverts blocking upstream passage are also problems. Land uses contributing to fish habitat declines have included grazing, mining, timber harvest and associated road building, recreation, and agricultural practices.