Committee advances two reports on mature forests, maps 153,870 acres and highlights trade‑offs of harvest restrictions

The King County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee on Jan. 21 advanced two staff reports about the county’s mature forests and potential options for preserving those lands.

Jake Tracy of council staff summarized the two companion reports, which respond to a 2023 council motion requesting analysis of mature‑forest extent, harvestability, greenhouse gas implications and options for reconveyance or trust‑land transfer. Using geospatial structure data and eligibility filters (outside the urban growth boundary, below 1,250 meters elevation, contiguous stands of five acres or more, and excluding stands with greater than 50% deciduous cover), the executive’s mapping identified 153,870 acres of mature forest countywide; of that total, the executive judged 72,311 acres could be legally harvested under the definitions used in the study.

The reports break ownership and harvestability down in more detail. Table 2 in the packet shows that 4,546 acres of mature forest are on lands managed by King County DNRP and could be legally harvested; 16,534 acres of mature forest are on DNR‑owned lands…