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Public voices split over Doc Holliday legacy forest sale; residents urge Natural Climate Solutions funding
Summary
Public comment at the Oct. 21 Clallam County commissioners meeting largely focused on the proposed Doc Holliday legacy forest timber sale, with residents urging use of Natural Climate Solutions (Cash for Counties) funding to protect legacy forest and others defending managed timber harvests.
Public comment at the Oct. 21 Clallam County commissioners meeting was dominated by the Doc Holliday legacy forest and related funding options, with speakers urging the board to seek Natural Climate Solutions (NCS / "Cash for Counties") funds to protect legacy forest and others defending forest management and county timber-sale decisions.
What residents said: conservation-minded speakers—including Wendy Ray Johnson, Joni Belden and Lisa Decker—told the board that legacy forests provide irreplaceable ecological benefits (biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water storage and habitat for salmon), argued that plantations and tree farms cannot replace complex legacy stands, and urged the county to use NCS or similar programs to purchase conservation outcomes without losing revenue to junior taxing districts.
Several speakers urged the board to transmit Doc Holliday parcels into NCS/Cash-for-Counties funding and to work with willing timber companies to create exchange agreements that preserve local revenues while protecting legacy stands. Commenters cited scientific literature and named researchers (for example, Jerry Franklin) when arguing that older forests store carbon more effectively than plantations.
Opposing comments: other residents said the forest is not old growth, described it as a 100‑year working forest that had previously been logged or planted, and criticized some activists for property-damage protests related to timber sale campaigns. Some speakers emphasized the importance of local employment, timber revenue and managed harvesting, and called for balanced forest management and visitor infrastructure as alternatives to outright conservation.
County response and next steps: commissioners acknowledged public concerns and said the Doc Holliday matter will receive further presentations and discussion at the county’s revenue advisory committee (staff invited interested residents to attend). Staff and the board referenced legislative timing and fund availability; dates and details for those advisory presentations were discussed and clarified after public comment.
Why it matters: decisions affecting DNR-managed legacy forest parcels intersect county revenue, ecological conservation, tribal interests and community recreation. Residents asked for clarity on how potential NCS funding would preserve revenue streams for taxing districts and on how the county would respond to citizen requests for formal letters or analysis.
