Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan Olympic Experimental State Forest
Welcome to the Olympic Experimental State Forest (OESF), a commercial forest with a unique emphasis on experimentation to integrate habitat conservation and commodity production. Lying between the Pacific coast and the Olympic Mountains, the OESF occupies 260,000 acres stretching across western Clallam and Jefferson Counties on the Olympic Peninsula. 
The OESF is unique among the state’s trust forests in management and purpose. We manage these lands to achieve both timber production and habitat conservation without strict designated zones. There are three components of this experiment: (a) habitat conservation strategies based on a experimental concept of an "unzoned" forest, that is, a forest without areas deferred from timber management; (b) a commitment to monitoring, research, and information sharing as the basis for experimental management; and (c) creation of a process for integrating intentional learning with management decision making and course adjustments.
The OESF is a place for applied research into innovative silvicultural techniques and wildlife habitat development. These experiments provide invaluable knowledge of the relationship between forest management and ecosystem functions. Overall, the OESF provides a unique opportunity to conduct experimentation, at a scale rarely matched, that supports sustainable forest management.
As managers of this working forest, we seek to provide reliable revenue for the trusts' beneficiaries and predictable levels of timber harvest to local communities. Revenue earned from commodity production on these lands helps the state's public schools, universities, and other beneficiaries, including Jefferson and Clallam Counties. Funding to the counties supports hospitals, school districts and local government services.
The OESF is also home to many species of special concern, and we’re implementing a habitat conservation plan to protect and restore their habitats. The temperate rain forest habitat of the OESF provides habitat for both the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. Numerous coastal tributaries here produce salmon, trout and habitat for riparian-dependent species. Lake Ozette is also home to a population of sockeye salmon that we’re working with other stakeholders to protect.