The plan to preserve 77,000 acres of legacy forests on state belief lands is the precise course for Washington state, on the proper time. Opposite to what the forest trade affiliation argued in its Aug. 28 opinion piece in The Seattle Occasions (“Why the plan to set aside 77,000 acres of forest won’t help WA“), this transfer by state Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove goals to guard our state’s remaining most ecologically precious forests, with out considerably impacting our state’s timber trade or funding for varsity building.
These legacy forests are one in every of a sort. Not like many forests throughout our state which have been clear-cut and replanted with monocultures, these forests have naturally regenerated over time, making them extra genetically and biologically numerous. These older forests retailer extra carbon than youthful stands, create richer habitats for a greater diversity of species, together with salmon, purify our air and filter our ingesting water, and are extra resilient to drought, illness and wildfires. They’re the old-growth forests of tomorrow, offering the foundations for a wholesome ecosystem important for supporting all life.
The plan to protect these forests comes at a pivotal time. Our federal authorities is ready to dramatically escalate logging in our nationwide forests. In distinction, our state Division of Pure Sources is making ready to guard legacy forests on its belief lands, which is able to present vital ecological advantages, however signify solely a small portion of DNR lands out there for harvest and a good smaller share of our state’s timber provide.
In reality, lower than 20% of the state’s whole timber provide comes from DNR harvests, in keeping with lower information assembled by the College of Montana’s enterprise college. Additional, the 77,000 acres in query signify solely about 9% of obtainable DNR timberland in Western Washington. It is a small share of acreage to put aside for preservation, given our state’s whole timber sources and different DNR lands allotted for harvest.
Whereas it’s true, as critics have argued, that about half of DNR belief lands in Western Washington are put aside for conservation to satisfy necessities underneath the Endangered Species Act, two-thirds of these forests are comprised of stands youthful than 70 years outdated. These youthful bushes do not need the identical ecological worth of the older, legacy forests.
One other main concern raised by critics is the affect of setting apart 77,000 acres of DNR belief lands on funding for varsity building. However income from state belief lands contributes solely a fraction of the overall price of faculty building, in keeping with the Workplace of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The quantity of timber and different belief land income that helps the overall price of faculty building has declined over the previous decade, dipping to simply 1.38% by 2021. Of that, timber income alone made up lower than one % of the overall prices.
In recognition of this, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has known as on the state to maneuver away from the dependency on DNR belief land timber income to fund college building and discover new sources of funding, equivalent to common obligation bonds or money sources. Reykdal, who additionally serves on the board that oversees DNR belief lands, has stated he helps the legacy forest conservation plan.
The plan proposed by Commissioner Upthegrove marks a big step towards preserving the state’s remaining legacy forests, with minimal impacts on colleges, DNR harvests or the state’s timber trade. We applaud Upthegrove for his braveness in shifting this plan ahead. As with every plan, there’s extra work to do to make sure it fulfills its environmental promise. However this plan is the precise transfer for Washington, and deserves our assist. The way forward for these distinctive ecosystems, and the lives they maintain, is at stake.
