PORT TOWNSEND — Timber harvesting in Jefferson County is expected to generate $1,689,000 for the county during 2016, according to the state Department of Natural Resources’ most recent estimates.
DNR representatives presented the third-quarter county income report to the Jefferson County commissioners Monday morning.
According to a letter sent to Commissioner Kathleen Kler by DNR, the county will see an estimated $87,000 more from timber sales than was expected in July’s second-quarter report.
However, these are still just estimates. According to DNR, because most of the income is from timber sales, the projected income can change based on a variety of factors, including timber prices, regulatory requirements and when the harvests actually happen, which can depend heavily on weather and the decisions made by purchasers.
In the first three quarters of 2016, the 14,717 acres of state forest transfer and purchase lands in Jefferson County managed by DNR has generated $1,498,000, according to the letter from the DNR.
DNR estimates the net income for Jefferson County’s timber harvest for 2016 at $1,055,000 after deducting the 25 percent managing fee implemented by the Board of Natural Resources since July 2013.
That estimate doesn’t include projects that have been planned but not finalized, according to DNR.
The money generated by timber harvests in Jefferson County goes into the county’s general fund and is distributed to junior taxing districts.
According to Commissioner David Sullivan, the county commissioners consider the money generated by the timber harvest as a “one-time income” because timber sale prices tend to fluctuate.
“It’s not like our property taxes that we know we can count on,” Sullivan said. “We know we can always count on some money, but we’re never sure how much.”
Due to that unpredictability, Sullivan said, the commissioners usually put that money toward special projects.
“It’s often used for capital projects,” Sullivan said. “We have a backlog, so there’s plenty that we can spend it on, but it’s for those one-time expenses like buying something new or fixing something.”
Across the state, DNR manages 2.1 million acres of state trust lands.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
