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Board of Natural Resources affirms most timber sales after extended public comment, splits on legacy-forest cases
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment urging both approval and deferral of timber sales, the Board of Natural Resources affirmed prior approvals for several February sales, voted 4–2 to affirm two legacy-related sales and approved six proposed sales for April; the meeting included sustained calls to defer 15 sales pending fuller SEPA alternatives analyses.
The Washington Board of Natural Resources voted March 16 to affirm most of the timber sales it had previously approved and to authorize a new set of proposed sales for auction in April after hearing more than an hour of public comment from industry representatives, county officials, school-district leaders and conservation advocates.
Chair Dave Uptegrove opened the special meeting and closed a public comment period that included competing appeals: industry and some county officials urged approval to protect jobs and trust revenue, while conservation advocates and legal advocates urged deferral or reanalysis of legacy-forest sales pending fuller SEPA alternatives review.
Why it matters: Trust land timber sales generate revenue for county services and schools but also raise legal and environmental questions when mature, complex forests are proposed for harvest. Several speakers pointed to recent court rulings requiring DNR to evaluate alternatives before proceeding with some legacy-forest sales.
Public testimony highlighted competing…
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