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Washington DNR commissioner signs order to conserve 77,000 acres of older, structurally complex forests
Summary
The Washington Department of Natural Resources announced and signed a commissioner's order to conserve 77,000 acres of structurally complex and older forests across Western Washington and said it will seek legislative authority to access ecosystem markets and diversify trust revenue.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Department of Natural Resources announced a major conservation action Monday, when Commissioner Dave Uptegrove signed an order to conserve 77,000 acres of structurally complex forests across Western Washington, including all older forest stands.
"I'm proud to sign a commissioner's order to conserve 77,000 acres of structurally complex forests across Western Washington, including every acre of our older forests," Uptegrove said at a press event at Tiger Mountain, citing the forests' role in sequestering carbon, supporting habitat and maintaining biodiversity.
The move follows a pause on sales the commissioner initiated in January and a two-year scientific effort by DNR foresters and scientists to map structurally complex stands. Uptegrove said the work identified more of these stands than expected and made the conservation action possible while still meeting the department's obligations to schools and local governments.
The department also outlined new revenue strategies. Uptegrove said DNR will ask the Legislature this winter for authority to participate in ecosystem markets — from carbon credits and avoided-wildfire emissions to leasing excess water rights and emerging biodiversity and blue-carbon markets — with the goal of diversifying revenue historically generated by timber sales.
Alyssa Macy, chief executive officer of Washington Conservation Action and a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, praised the order as the result of scientific study and years of community advocacy. Macy noted a 2022 unanimous Washington Supreme Court decision that affirmed the department's duty "to generate benefit to trust beneficiaries and to generate benefit to the public," and said the order puts that discretion into practice.
"This is a big win for people and nature," Macy said, and urged DNR to include local communities, technical experts and tribes in implementation.
Thurston County Commissioner Ty Mentzer described five years of local advocacy to protect remaining structurally complex stands in Capital State Forest and said the county will assist DNR in acquiring tools and resources to modernize forest management. Mentzer said fewer than 3,000 acres remained of structurally complex forest in a 110,000-acre portion of Capital State Forest that his district includes.
Uptegrove framed the action as the largest state forest conservation move in a generation that aims to align ecological and economic needs while maintaining sustainable timber harvests elsewhere to support schools, counties and fire districts. He also said DNR may pursue ecological thinning and land acquisitions in some cases to improve habitat and long-term revenue and wood supply.
The press event concluded with a formal signing. The commissioner pronounced the order "So ordered." Organizers offered follow-up one-on-one interviews and distributed materials to the press.
Implementation will involve additional steps, including legislative authority for market participation and continued outreach and consultation with tribes, local communities and technical experts, officials said. Specific timelines, parcel lists and budgetary impacts were not specified at the event.
