Clallam County revenue advisory committee presses DNR on trust-land transfers; votes to submit comment urging pause for county lands

The Clallam County Revenue Advisory Committee voted March 16 to submit a draft comment to the state asking that proposed Trust Land Transfers (TLTs) not include county trust lands until the county's arrearage and beneficiary-notification concerns are addressed. The motion to "accept the draft" passed by roll call: 9 yes, 3 abstain and the committee chair said the letter will be sent to DNR staff and the TLT program lead.

The committee framed the vote around what it described as recent revenue losses tied to cancelled or delayed timber sales. "In 2025, multiple Clallam County trust timber sales were canceled, modified, or delayed '' These actions resulted in millions of dollars in lost or deferred revenue to county beneficiaries," the committee chair (speaker 2) said in a prepared statement urging the committee to ask that Clallam County lands be excluded from current TLT proposals while arrearage problems are resolved. The chair said replacement funding does not compensate for long-term revenue loss and broader local economic impacts.

DNR staff described the TLT process: applicants submitted proposals by Sept. 30, 2025; the Trust Land Transfer Advisory Committee will score proposals on a 0'5 scale with multipliers for community support (x2), ecological value (x3), public benefit (x3) and tribal support (x3); ranked proposals are then forwarded to the Board of Natural Resources and may be included in a legislative funding package. DNR presenters confirmed a public comment window is open and told attendees concerns should be lodged promptly: certain concerns must be noted by April 1 to allow applicants time to respond and the public comment period for the package closes April 15.

Multiple committee members and local beneficiaries pressed DNR staff on notification and fiduciary duties. One committee member asked whether trust beneficiaries receive automatic notice when an application is filed; others said they learned about proposals from public posts rather than from DNR. "Transparency and communication is not happening soon enough," the chair said, adding that beneficiaries should be notified earlier in the process so they can evaluate local impacts and, if necessary, request timber-value compensation.

DNR staff said regions review initial applications and provide feedback to the program lead; they described an example in which an initial 435-acre request was reduced to a 190-acre parcel after regional review because parts were judged not in the trust's best interest or were difficult to manage. Staff emphasized the program seeks willing recipients and that replacement lands are sought with a goal of keeping replacement acreage and benefits in the originating county when possible, but they acknowledged practical constraints and the need to verify some procedural details.

Public commenters and advisory-committee representatives warned of precedent and urged the committee to press for clearer notice. Matt (speaker 19), who identified himself as a member of the Trust Land Transfer advisory committee, said advisory documents were provided to that committee in early February and that he had requested updated maps; he also said he seldom saw the best-interest analysis published on the public-facing TLT site. Fisher French (speaker 15) said TLTs can be useful when applied to genuinely underperforming lands but cautioned against using the program for political ends.

The committee resolved to submit the draft letter and forward copies to DNR leadership for response; they also asked staff to follow up with Kenny Auker, the TLT program lead, about how beneficiaries will be notified and how arrearage and replacement calculations are handled. The committee set a next meeting for April 20 at 2:30 p.m.

What happens next: DNR said ranked TLT proposals go to the Board of Natural Resources and then to the Legislature for funding; if a proposal is not funded in a given biennium the staff indicated it is removed from that funding round but may be re-submitted in a later cycle. Public-comments on the current cycle remain open through April 15.