OLYMPIA — The state Board of Natural Resources on Oct. 7 approved a proposal that, if funded by the 2015 Legislature, would create a new community-managed forest south of Port Gamble.
The board agreed to seek $3.4 million from the Legislature for the state Department of Natural Resources to purchase 484 acres of timberland from Pope Resources to create the North Kitsap Community Forest. Representatives from the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners and local conservation groups spoke in favor of the proposal, which was later approved unanimously by the board.
If the proposed acquisition receives legislative funding for the 2015-17 biennium, DNR will work with community members and other interested stakeholders to create a forest management plan for the acreage. The county also would be asked to contribute approximately $500,000 to the purchase and management plan development.
“This acquisition fits the purpose of the state’s Community Forest Trust program, which is to maintain forest cover for habitat, open space, and for air and water quality,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, who chairs the board.
Created in 2011, the Community Forest Trust empowers communities to partner with DNR in selecting, purchasing and managing forests that support local economies and public recreation. The program targets working forestlands that are at high risk of conversion to other uses, but which have strong community interest to preserve as forestland and can be self-supporting.
DNR Community Forest Trust program
Working forests are a vital part of the Washington state economy and culture. However, since the 1980s, more than one-sixth — 17 percent — of forests in western Washington have been converted to other land uses. As working forests vanish, so do many benefits for communities, including local timber, natural resources jobs, clean air and water and recreation.
To address this trend, DNR worked with the state Legislature to create the Community Forest Trust in 2011 — a new tool for residents and interested stakeholders to participate in protecting working forestlands that benefit their communities.
The first state community forest was established in 2013 in the Teanaway River Valley, north of Cle Elum in eastern Washington. This new category of working forestland is held by the state and sustainably managed by DNR, consistent with the values of the local community.
