Sign on to FOCC’s Upcoming Letter to Clark County Regarding Legacy Forests and DNR Timber Sales
Letter to Clark County Regarding Comments on the DNR Trust Lands Timber Sales in Clark County
My name is Mary Goody and I am a Board Member writing on behalf of Friends of Clark County (FOCC), a local non-profit environmental advocacy organization representing its thousands of supporters who are residents of Clark County, WA.
Last fall, FOCC opposed the Department of Natural Resource (DNR)’s “Dabbler” timber sale, #106156(SEPA file No. 24-073002, Forest Practice Application #2942570). Dabbler is a series of 5 timber units partially identified as “legacy” forests located in the Siouxon region of eastern Clark County.
In November, despite widespread public opposition to these irresponsible timber sales from residents across the state (including those in Clark County), the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) voted to approve the Dabbler sale. The auction is scheduled for January 30, 2025 if no further intervention occurs. Additionally, two other Clark County timber sales were approved by the BNR in recent months (Silver Vista and Penny Pincher). Furthermore, FOCC has just learned that there are 6 more timber sales slated for review and auction in 2025 in Clark County alone. All of these units contain areas of structurally complex forests, which are essential to protect for a multitude of reasons. The Clark County Council, as well as the residents of Clark County, have largely been left in the dark as the DNR has quietly sold off these precious forests for clearcutting.
The DNR manages these forests for Clark County, so Clark County has a special role to play in protecting them. The Clark County Council should instruct the DNR to halt its practice of auctioning off Clark County’s legacy forests in recognition of the vital ecosystem services they provide, especially in light of the climate crisis. Those services include:
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Climate mitigation via carbon sequestration:
It is well-known that legacy forests capture and store much more carbon over time than forests managed as plantations. By leaving such forests as Dabbler intact, we help to meet the requirements for Clark County’s upcoming climate mandate as outlined in SB 1181, requiring counties to develop a plan for reducing and preparing for the effects of climate change. Supporting evidence for the carbon sequestration powers of old growth forest can be found in a 2015 article published by the US Forest Service entitled “The Role of Old Forests and Big Trees in Forest Carbon Sequestration in the Pacific Northwest” and a study from the independent research non-profit, Resources for the Future, which found that mature forests store substantially more carbon than young forests, with avoided deforestation having twice the carbon benefits as afforestation (planting new trees).
A consultant working with Clark County, Parametrix, created a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for unincorporated Clark County. This link provides access to the full report: (https://clark.wa.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/2024-07/clarkco-ghg-report_final_0.pdf). Page 7 of the report shows that the county’s Agriculture, Forestry, and Land Use (AFLU) emissions make up 21% of overall emissions, and Figure 9 from page 16 shows a whopping 75% of unincorporated Clark County’s AFLU emissions are from “net forest carbon loss” (deforestation).
The Clark County Climate Change Project, in its work to recommend policy as part of the Comprehensive Plan update, currently includes in its draft goals to “Enhance and protect natural areas and trees” and “Make a plan to maximize protection of natural and forest areas.” Additionally, citizen representatives are working to expand the recommendation to include “…and preserve all legacy forests in Clark County.”
It is clear that the DNR’s management practices are antithetical to the policy enacted by the people of Washington State to lead in addressing the climate crisis at the urgency and scale that scientific consensus deems necessary.
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Protection of wildlife, including endangered species:
Clark County’s legacy forests are home to many forest creatures, including the Spotted Owl, a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act. Other species, such as the flying squirrel, deer mouse, Pacific tree fog, bushy-tailed woodrat, several species of voles, long-tailed weasel, and the yellow pine chipmunk, utilizing the largely natural forest areas could not survive under managed plantation conditions. In addition, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified the North American wolverine and the Brush Prairie pocket gopher as proposed threatened species candidates.
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Intrinsic value of legacy forest to the residents of Clark County and future generations:
These forests are the old growth forests of the very near future, and if left undisturbed, they will become the protected old growth we all treasure as they are the signature of Clark County’s natural beauty.
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The people have chosen a new direction for DNR management:
Multiple lawsuits, requests for injunctions, and abatements for logging in these and other DNR units are currently pending. The newly elected Washington State Lands Commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, won by campaigning explicitly on protecting legacy forest, reviewing the timber sales that have already been approved, and looking for more appropriate funding mechanisms for Junior Taxing Districts.
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The DNR has not followed its own policies on forest protection:
The DNR is required under its Habitat Conservation Plan as well as the Intra-Service Biological Opinion for the HCP, PR-004-046, and the policy for Sustainable Forests to restore “fully functional” or “old growth-like” forests across 10 to 15 percent of state forestlands.
FOCC is aware that since the state’s founding, these intermittent timber sales benefit the Junior Taxing Districts (JTD’s) and provide needed funds for schools, cemetery districts, police and fire agencies, etc. However, the State Superintendent of Education, Chris Reykdal, has publicly stated that the sales are not sustainable for the future needs of education. “Sure we can get an extra dollar today, but then there won’t be a forest in 50 years. Let’s play the long game here.” (Seattle Times Climate Lab article, November 13, 2024, “Election Day Timber Sales Could Test Incoming Washington Lands Commissioner Upthegrove.”) In an article from Stateline, Reykdal is quoted: “We have got to figure out a long-term strategy…but also provide revenue in a time where climate change is impacting what we can do.” Trust lands’ share of statewide education funding is shrinking, Reykdal also acknowledged. Washington’s school construction needs are about $1.3 billion per two-year budget cycle, he said, while trust lands provide only about $140 million over that time. The state spends about $15 billion every two years in K-12 education. (Stateline, February 18, 2020, “Less Logging Means Less Money For Schools in the Northwest.”) In July of 2022, Reykdal was quoted as saying, “It’s time to make a basic education commitment to school construction with more reliable sources of revenue than timber harvests.” FOCC agrees. Given our obligations to our children and grandchildren to address the climate emergency, the onus is on lawmakers to provide new and creative funding that eases the pressure on trust land revenue. Stateline reports that the DNR is analyzing income from all its trust lands to find a solution to diminishing forest availability and to determine which uses are the most productive.
Specifically, FOCC asks that the Council sign and send the attached letter to the Office of the Commissioner of Public Lands requesting that:
- The “Dabbler” timber sale be canceled, and the forests within it be prioritized for conservation. Furthermore we ask that Units 1 and 2 of Silver Vista which both target Yacolt-era primary forest be removed from the sale and replaced with plantation acreage.
- All remaining naturally regenerated “legacy” forests originating prior to 1946, including all Yacolt-era forests on DNR trust lands in Clark County be conserved as the DNR develops a new management framework around older forests.
- The DNR prioritize un-even aged timber harvest (harvests containing trees of varying ages) on DNR trust lands in the county, and prioritize carbon sequestration, watershed health and ecosystem services in the management of state lands.
- The DNR notify the Council directly of any potential forests within Clark County being considered for unit clear cutting; and to work with those agencies in the County, i.e., the Community Planning Department and the County Forester to develop sound working policies to protect these structurally complex, nearly old growth mature forests and transition them out of trust status entirely. The Dabbler units, and the other remaining legacy units in Clark County would be excellent candidates to meet these targets.
In summary, FOCC encourages the Council to call for a halt on all legacy forest timber sales in the County in order to preserve, maintain and increase the existing and future carbon capture ability of our forests until a more efficient and productive form of raising funds for the JTD’s can be implemented.
Thank you for your consideration of these most important decisions for our County, our people and our climate.
Yours very truly,
Mary Goody,
Board Member,
Friends of Clark County
Ann Foster
President
Friends of Clark County
If protecting legacy forests in Clark County are a priority for you and an organization you are part of, please consider signing on to our letter for the new Clark County Council asking them to instruct the DNR to halt this devastating management practice in light of the climate emergency (due date for sign-ons is January 4th). If you’d like to support these asks as an individual, you can submit comments to the Clark County Council or plan on providing testimony in support during Open Public Comment on Tuesday, January 7th at 10am. Meeting information here.