Forterra, DNR Conserve 40 Acres Of Old-Growth Forest In Central Cascades
News Date: 
March 22, 2022
   

Newest phase of conservation success in protecting Washington’s forest resources preserves critical habitat, adds it to Mount Si NRCA

Forterra, a Washington based non-profit land trust, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have teamed up to conserve 40 acres of critical old-growth forest habitat in the Central Cascades along Hancock Creek and forever protect it as part of the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area.
 
Forterra donated the parcel to DNR after it acquired 30 acres of timber rights to fully protect the property. The donation, completed this month, will protect a property with old-growth and late successional forests that support threatened and endangered species, such as the marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl.
 
“This donation represents one more step in the important work of preventing deforestation and protecting critical fish and wildlife habitat in the Snoqualmie River watershed,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, the elected official who oversees DNR. “I want to express my gratitude to Forterra and the Cugini family for their work to forever protect this iconic stand of cedars for generations to come.”
 
“This project represents an important advancement of the continued partnership between Forterra and DNR to protect private holdings within priority conservation areas,” said Michael Storace, Project Manager for Conservation Transactions with Forterra.
 
The acquisition and donation of this property is the latest part of Forterra’s Hancock Creek initiative. The multi-phase conservation program is part of a longstanding partnership with the Cugini family to protect their remaining forestlands. The Hancock Creek property still contains 80 acres of unprotected timber rights yet to be conserved.
 
DNR’s Rivers and Habitat Open Space Program (RHOSP) funded the purchase of the timber rights on the 40 acres. Forterra previously secured the land with funding from the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund within the Endangered Species Act (Section 6), through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in partnership with DNR.
 
“For the past eight years, the Cugini family has proudly partnered with Forterra to conserve almost 800 acres of rare old-growth forest in King County – the Blethen Lake, Titicaed Creek and Hancock Creek parcels,” said Robert Cugini. “This successful effort is a fitting tribute to our grandparents, Alex and Josephine Cugini, who acquired these unique timberlands in the 1940s, and to our parents, Norma and Alex Cugini, Jr., who continued to hold and steward the properties over the years.” 
 
As an organization, Forterra drives land-based solutions to address the climate crisis and support equitable, green, and prosperous communities in Washington. Forterra has facilitated nearly 500 conservation transactions in the past 30 years and has conserved more than 275,000 acres.
 
DNR’s Natural Areas Program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, permanently conserves nearly 165,000 acres of Washington state’s most important and unique habitats in Natural Area Preserves and Natural Resources Conservation Areas, including more than 31,000 acres of land in King County.  
 
ABOUT FORTERRA
 
Forterra is an unconventional land trust that works across Washington’s communities and landscapes, from the ranches and shrub-steppe of the Yakima basin, to the estuaries, farms and forests of Washington’s coast, reaching more than 100 counties, cities, towns and rural communities. Working cooperatively with people and nature, Forterra drives land stewardship, management and planning; innovative programs and policies; farming and forestry approaches; community ownership opportunities; and development solutions.
 
To learn more about Forterra’s conservation efforts, visit forterra.org.
 
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
 
Administered by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, DNR manages more than 5.6 million acres of state-owned forest, range, commercial, agricultural, conservation, and aquatic lands. Of these, more than half are held in trust to produce income to support public schools and other essential services. State trust lands managed by DNR provide other public benefits, including outdoor recreation, habitat for native fish and wildlife, and watersheds for clean water.
 
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