Board of Natural Resources approves nine timber sales after hours of public comment

The Board of Natural Resources on April 7 approved nine timber sales presented by department staff and totaling roughly 55.5 million board feet, after more than an hour of public comment that sharply divided timber purchasers and conservation advocates.

Chair Dave Upthegrove opened the meeting, heard public testimony and then called on Mike Sly, assistant division manager for product sales and leasing, to present auction results and the nine sales before the board. Sly said March auction results included 53.2 million board feet sold and that the proposed sales carry a combined minimum appraised delivery value of about $13.9 million. "The information presented here reflects the accurate application of the department's habitat conservation plan, HCP, and regulatory framework," Sly told the board.

Why it matters: commentors said the sales affect school-trust revenue, local mills and legacy forests, while others argued the department is double-counting "conserved" acres that are already unharvestable under law. The dispute centers on whether the acreage labeled "conserved" on sale fact sheets reflects discretionary conservation added by DNR or baseline regulatory protections required by the…