Commissioner Upthegrove Calls “Timeout” on Harvesting Older State Forests

News Date:

January 17, 2025

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In his first action as Commissioner of Public Lands, newly-inaugurated Dave Upthegrove announced today an approximately six-month pause on Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) timber harvests in certain structurally complex mature forests.

During this pause, DNR will deploy cutting-edge technology to better identify and map the characteristics of the forests the agency manages to effectively meet DNR's Policy for Sustainable Forests of conserving 10 to 15 percent of structurally complex forests.

"Forests define Washington -- they are vital to our habitats, to our communities, and our economy," said Commissioner Upthegrove. "I want to ensure that our forests will continue to work sustainably for the people of Washington for generations to come. This timeout will help us make that a reality."

Older forests are critical as they store and sequester carbon, an important tool to address climate change. They also support biodiverse habitats and provide recreation opportunities.

Over the next six months, DNR experts will develop the necessary criteria to protect these older forests while ensuring a sustained level of harvests that will produce the timber we need to build our homes, hospitals, and schools.

"I will also be using this time to meet with our beneficiaries, Tribes, environmental groups, industry, and the public in a transparent process to get their input and build support for protecting these vital forests," said Commissioner Upthegrove. "I know how essential timber is to Washington, and DNR foresters are on the cutting edge of ensuring harvests are done sustainably and responsibly. But with so much contention regarding recent timber sales, it's apparent we need to stop, take a breath, and revisit how to meet the targets laid out in the agency's timber management plans. This pause does not mean Washington will harvest less - it will simply lead to a change to where we harvest and the type of forests we conserve."

The pause on sales applies to forests defined as Maturation II. That means they have an understory with diverse species growing beneath the canopy, small gaps appearing due to natural disturbances like wind, and a relatively low presence of large fallen logs or standing dead trees (snags).

These landscapes are very close to fully mature forests with increased structural complexity and biodiversity. Protecting them is valuable for providing habitat, conserving carbon, and ensuring biodiversity across Washington's forests.

DNR staff has identified 23 sales meeting these criteria planned for the first half of 2025. This constitutes 28% of all sale acres for 2025.

Some paused sales could be reconfigured and brought forward to auction once the criteria to exclude structurally complex forests that are critical to carbon storage and habitat biodiversity are developed.

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