When the newly elected Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove took office earlier this year, one of his first actions was to halt roughly two dozen pending timber sales as part of an effort to conserve 77,000 acres of state forests. That ‘pause’ lasted eight months and reduced the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) timber output to its lowest level in two decades.
On Tuesday, the DNR announced that more than 10,000 acres of older forests will be conserved permanently – effectively eliminating all remaining older forest harvests on state lands-dealing a serious setback to rural Washington.
Rep. Kevin Waters, R-Stevenson, issued the following statement in response to the commissioner’s decision.
“For communities like Skamania, Pacific, and Wahkiakum counties, this decision does not occur in isolation. For over 30 years, timber-dependent counties have lived with the consequences of federal timber harvest reductions, which cut off a reliable revenue stream for schools, county services, and infrastructure. Federal shortfalls, once promised to be temporary, have instead become the norm, forcing rural counties to scrape by on less funding year after year.
“Tuesday’s action by the DNR compounds that problem. It trades financial certainty for untested markets. The agency’s own Ecosystem Services Report acknowledges that revenue sources such as water leasing, carbon offsets, and wildfire emission credits are years away from being viable – and in many cases may not equal the revenues timber harvest provides today.
“When timber policies are made, they may ‘save’ a forest, but they rarely account for the lives, schools, and counties that are directly affected. This latest decision will further limit school funding, reduce county budgets, and restrict log supply to local mills at a time when Washington is already facing a housing shortage and a strained state budget.
“We need a balanced approach that considers both environmental stewardship and economic stability. Rural communities are projected to lose hundreds of millions of dollars because of this decision. This is just death by a thousand cuts. That is not how we support the people who live in these counties who are already working with far fewer resources.
“I will continue working with colleagues in the Legislature to pursue solutions that restore balance, ensure predictable funding for schools and local governments, and keep Washington’s timber economy strong.”
Waters represents the 17th Legislative District.
# # #