State Trust Lands Forest Management
Sustainable Harvest calculation
We examined our approach to sustainable management of forested state trust lands in Western Washington, and recalculated the sustainable harvest level for those forests. This evaluation process, which occurs roughly every ten years, began in 2001. The process:
- Incorporated new information and changes in federal and state laws since the last calculation.
- Allowed the Board of Natural Resources (Board) to identify and evaluate potential policy changes.
Alternatives for managing the forests were computer modeled so the Board could examine the potential results of those various changes in forest health, habitat and harvest conditions over time.
At its meeting September 7, 2004, the Board unanimously set the sustainable harvest level for forested Westside state trust lands at 597 million board feet per year for the next ten years.
Board Decisions and Related Materials
Environmental Review Documents
Background Information
Socio-Economic Research
During the sustainable harvest process, we undertook comprehensive public opinion research to understand the public's feelings and values about stewardship on state trust lands.
In an effort to measure the impact of timber harvests on state lands on communities across the state, the Board also received a report on "Socio-Economic Resiliency" which provided an indication of how reduction or increase in timber harvest will affect counties across the state.
Economic Research
Working with a technical advisory committee, we modeled projected revenue by decade and by trust for each of the six alternatives.