AS FORMER STATE legislators, we’ve been on the front lines of the work to both protect our natural environment and advocate for a vibrant timber industry that benefits Clallam County residents.
Thanks to bipartisan reform efforts and collaboration with Washington’s tribes, stringent and sustainable forest management is something all Washingtonians can take pride in.
Modern foresters plant more trees than they harvest and manage forests to keep them healthy and fire resistant, preserve wildlife habitat and clean water, and combat climate change by sequestering carbon in trees.
This sustainable forestry is a fundamental necessity in a state like Washington, which contains millions of acres of trees that make up carefully managed tree farms.
These forestlands are not “wild” — they are tree farms.
They were not planted or designed to simply be abandoned, and they do not thrive when left unmanaged — they get sick, die and emit millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere when they burn, polluting our air and threatening the safety of our communities.
That’s why when special interest groups advocate for abandoning previously managed forests in favor of doing no management at all we have to object and advocate for the forests, wildlife and communities they support and protect. Forests are complex ecosystems that must be managed according to the best available science, not political talking points.
The facts are on our side.
A team led by world-renowned University of Washington scientists published a study in 2021, ”Global Warming Mitigating Role of Wood Products from Washington State’s Private Forests,” in the Journal of the Ecological Society of America.
The peer-reviewed study clearly explained that adaptive management of forests has an indispensable, scientifically-supported role to play in protecting communities from the worst impacts of climate change.
The sustainable cycle of harvesting trees is critically important to remove dead and dying trees, invasive plants and dry underbrush that serve as fuel in wildfires.
In fact, managed forests absorb carbon dioxide nearly twice as fast per acre as unmanaged forests, which is especially important given carbon emissions from wildfire are now the second largest contributor to climate change in our region.
State timber trust lands in Clallam County, managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provide family-wage jobs while adding millions in public funding.
Despite these benefits, the management of state timber trust lands has faced constant criticism by outside special interest groups.
Frivolous lawsuits are harming Clallam County’s taxing districts and taxpayers.
For example: A single DNR timber sale considered for delay or cancellation would have cost Clallam County Fire Protection District 4 in Joyce $69,000 and Crescent School District $67,000.
Timber revenue to Clallam County from DNR sales over the past 10 years averaged $6.5 million per year, which we cannot afford to lose.
When timber revenue is delayed or eliminated, Clallam County taxpayers are forced to make a choice: fewer services or higher property taxes.
This is a sacrifice residents shouldn’t have to make, especially when it contradicts the best available science on land management.
We all see the beauty that has been maintained in our region for generations because forestland managers have taken care to conserve our state’s incredible natural heritage by sustaining healthy forests that fight climate change and support the safety and prosperity of our communities.
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Jim Buck served in the Army and as a member of the state House of Representatives, representing the 24th Legislative District, from 1995 to 2007.
Jim Hargrove, a forester, served as a member of the House of Representatives and state Senate in the 24th Legislative District from 1997 to 2017.
