Washington Public Lands Commissioner Reduces Forest Protection Goal, Seeks Legislative Authority for Conservation Funding
Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove has revised his goal for protecting older state forests from timber harvest, lowering the target from 77,000 acres to 55,000 acres. This adjustment, announced on Thursday, is partly attributed to mapping errors, with many previously included parcels being small or already protected. The 55,000 acres now exempt from logging through 2030 were originally slated for harvest after that year. Upthegrove is urging the state Legislature to grant the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) broader authority to generate revenue from state lands through means other than logging. He proposes alternatives such as leasing older forests to municipalities, tribes, or nonprofits, and exploring participation in regulatory carbon markets, similar to how private timber companies like Weyerhaeuser generate revenue. The Commissioner also highlighted the DNR's internal budget problems, noting that a key account for forestry work was projected to go negative, leading to deferred ...
