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Public commenters urge Board of Natural Resources to protect legacy and structurally complex forests
Summary
Dozens of public commenters urged the board to halt or modify planned timber sales they say threaten structurally complex and legacy forests, citing local habitat, salmon runs, landslide risk, and long-term stewardship choices.
A lengthy public comment period at the July 7 Board of Natural Resources meeting focused on a recurring theme: callers and in-room speakers urged the board to protect legacy and structurally complex forests rather than treat them as routine revenue sources.
Speakers representing conservation groups, counties and school districts told the board that some proposed sales — including named packages in the packet and units slated for future auction — would degrade important salmon habitat, fragment old-growth remnants and undermine long-term watershed resilience. "In just 6 years, a glacier that survived for thousands of years has vanished," said Daniel Harm, describing observations at Deming Glacier and urging the board to re-examine agency priorities. Several commenters cited Ennis Creek, Blanchard State Forest, and the Willapa River watershed as places of special concern.
Other speakers pushed the opposite point: Connie Beauvais, chair of the Clallam County Revenue Advisory Committee, described specific local budgetary beneficiaries of timber revenue (citing estimates such as $122,000 to the Port Angeles School District and tens of thousands to emergency services) and urged approval of selected sales. Rhonda Litzenberger, Eatonville School District board chair, reiterated the board's fiduciary duty to manage trust lands for beneficiary revenue, noting court precedent affirms that duty.
Why it matters: public testimony framed the debate between conservation and revenue generation as affecting schools, rural services and salmon habitat. The board heard scientific and historical references from commenters and repeated calls for greater transparency and accessibility in DNR processes.
What the board heard: calls for alternative funding approaches, requests to defer or redesign specific sales, site-specific concerns about riparian buffers and herbicide use, and repeated appeals for the agency to produce a comprehensive forest plan that accounts for conservation priorities.
