This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
Washington State Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove signed a commissioner’s order Tuesday that will conserve 77,000 acres of state forests.
The 77,000 protected acres include more than 10,000 acres of older forests, therefore conserving all remaining older forests in Washington, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR teams initially identified 106,000 acres of “structurally complex” and older forests. They then used the data to focus on 77,000 acres.
“DNR identified 77,000 of the best acres for ecological health, habitat connectivity, and diversity of stand types across the landscape to conserve,” the news release stated.
Although Upthegrove previously paused logging sales in older forests, 29,000 acres of the newly conserved forest will still be available for harvest, The Washington State Standard reported.
Washington coalition rejects order
The Legacy Forest Defense Coalition was displeased with Upthegrove’s order, as it has continued to sue Washington’s Board of Natural Resources to stop logging sales.
“This is essentially a continuation of the status quo under the guise of a conservation victory,” Joshua Wright, a spokesperson for the coalition, told The Washington State Standard.
The 29,000 acres include critical land in the Capitol State Forest and the Chehalis River Basin.
“The majority of forests that we were most concerned about are going to be logged by this plan, and that is nothing short of devastating,” Wright said, according to the media outlet.
DNR called the order a “bold step forward” in its news release.
The department stated it will pursue strategies other than traditional harvesting, such as selling carbon credits and ecosystem services, acquiring replacement timber lands, promoting mass timber markets, maximizing return on forest products, and restructuring sales.
A map of the structurally complex forests can be viewed here.
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