More than half of the private forestland in Washington is held by landowners who own less than 5,000 acres and are not in the business of industrial handling or processing of timber products. These nonindustrial forests and woodlands provide valuable habitat to plants and wildlife. At the same time, these lands absorb many of the demands placed on timber, fish, wildlife, water, recreation, and aesthetic resources by our state’s growing population and shrinking base of commercial forestland.
Federal law requires that each state receiving federal funds for the Forest Stewardship or Forest Legacy programs have a State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee.
This committee advises the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the plans, policies, priorities, and delivery of the Forest Stewardship or Forest Legacy programs.
- The Forest Stewardship Program gives advice and assistance to help family forest owners improve the environmental qualities and economic outputs of their lands.
- The Forest Legacy Program suggests conservation easements or land acquisitions to prevent the conversion of working forestland to non-forest uses. - Forest Legacy Program Updates 2008/2009 (8K PDF)
The committee also advises DNR on ranking parcels for potential inclusion in the Forest Legacy Program.
Meetings
Committee meeting dates are determined by the members; typically, they meet twice annually (in spring and fall).
(view agendas and minutes)
Membership
The committee members and committee chair are designated by Washington State Forester Vickie Christiansen.
(view board members - 23KB PDF)
Categories of membership are established in federal statute and in guidelines from the USDA Forest Service. State foresters may add additional persons or categories of representation.
Member Terms
Terms are three years. Most terms renew indefinitely and are filled by the current incumbent in a designated job.
(view member terms - 23KB PDF)