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Forest Service and county discuss Good Neighbor Authority, plantation thinning and SRS uncertainty
Summary
Forest Service officials briefed commissioners on upcoming environmental assessments and use of the Good Neighbor Authority; county leaders raised concerns about Secure Rural Schools funding and urged a workshop on timber receipts and fuel‑break strategy.
Forest Service planning staff told Skamania County commissioners on March 18 that the agency plans environmental decisions and collaborative sales over the coming months, and that the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) has become an important tool for implementing timber and restoration projects.
Mount Adams District and forest-level staff said a decision on the Little White environmental assessment is expected in late spring, and the final plantation-thinning programmatic environmental assessment should be released for public comment in the next month. The plantation-thin EA would cover treatments across existing plantations and creation of fuel breaks adjacent to roads.
"We have really gotten pretty efficient with using the GNA authority, and implementing sales," a Forest Service official said, describing hand-offs in which the Forest Service turns sale administration to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Why it matters: commissioners and county leaders said they are concerned about revenue flows from federal timber activity. Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding remains in limbo, county officials said, so timber receipts and the distribution of Good Neighbor Authority revenues are a pressing local fiscal issue.
Key points from the briefing
- Little White and plantation-thin EAs: Forest Service staff said the Little White EA decision is expected late this spring. The plantation-thinning programmatic EA will be released for public comment in the coming month and would authorize treatments and fuel-break work along roads and potential control lines.
- Good Neighbor Authority: Staff described success using the GNA to assign sale administration and restoration work to the state DNR. Forest Service speakers said GNA receipts are managed under state accounts and are intended to fund restoration in the area where harvest occurred; county leaders said they want further discussion about how counties receive or share timber receipts when GNA sales replace traditional federal sales.
- SRS and Title II/III concerns: Commissioners requested a county workshop to assess how a possible SRS gap year or changes to Title II and Title III would affect local projects, community partners and the distribution of receipts.
- Northwest Forest Plan and executive orders: Staff said the forest’s current large projects align with a new executive order on timber harvests; the Forest Service will review implications as guidance is finalized. Commissioners and staff discussed the programmatic options being considered for the Northwest Forest Plan and how outcomes could affect harvest levels and fuel-resilience work.
What commissioners asked for
Commissioners asked for a workshop-level briefing covering timber tools, receipts and the potential fiscal impacts to Skamania County if federal funding streams change. Forest Service staff said they would coordinate with county staff and suggested a separate presentation by resource manager Josh Chapman to walk through the plantation-thin proposal.
