Monday, February 28 – Loss Of Forests
Currently there are more than 12 million acres of state and private working forests in Washington State. However, since the late 1980s, more than 17 percent of non-federal forests in Washington have been converted to other uses, such as home sites and other types of development. How have you and your community been affected by the loss of forests? How would additional losses affect it? In a narrow or broad sense, what jobs or industries are supported by forestry in your community? (Statistic from 2007 Future of Washington’s Forests )
D. Mitchem 4:11 pm on March 1, 2011 Permalink
Our community is dependent on timberlands as the backbone of our economy, for our cultural identity, and for outdoor recreation. During the housing boom, Cowliz County was hit tremendously by conversion of industrial timberland into housing. Now McMansions–some empty, some half built–line our lakes and roads. Our town lost it’s mill. Where there once was timberland by the river, we now have a airport/dragstrip/subdivision. It seems anything with road access and power is on the plate for conversion. And “recreation” properties are being chopped up from lower productivity timberlands in high elevations such as near Mount St. Helens. Five lakes are now subdivided. Many of these places are off the grid, but are being marketed as vacation sites where “wildlife roam”. Along the Cowlitz River floodplains, where houses can’t be built, recreation properties cater to RV’s. Economically, the loss of timberland is compounded by the loss of recreation access to the timberlands. According to the local grocery store owner (our town has one) locking the gates hurt more than closing the mill. Subdivision in timberland often creates a cascade of restrictions, and causes even more subdivision. These lots bring city folks looking for “nature” out into the country on x-timber 5-acre chunks. These newcomers don’t like clearcuts, hunting etc. and complain about nearby forest activities (noise, smoke, loss of trees) which creates hassles for remaining timberland management and more pressure to sell more. As for trades, they help the big picture over the long term. There are no easy answers, but special funding to purchase high public-value lands like the Wash Wildlife/Rec. Program has helped. Inheritance taxes are also a worry for small forestland owners, who may have to sell and divide to pay taxes. I suggest a “right to log” type document similar to “right to farm” used in Ag. lands for everyone to sign before they move into a timber region.
The shepherd's Inn 1:12 pm on February 28, 2011 Permalink
We are talking about Natural Resources that belong to the people collectively and once they are converted to another use ( I assume the state gets the money) but the citizens have lost that resource or land forever. Especially when it becomes home building sites. The state has encouraged landowners to develop timber land by offering reduced taxes so it doesn’t make sense to remove public land out of timber management. What the state needs to do is manage effectively and harvest effectively by being accountable!
I’m also disturbed by the tremendous amount of trading that is done with DNR lands. benefits and why is it being done. Someone is pulling strings somewhere and the public is never consulted about it. We had several hundred acres of DNR land that adjoined us but it was traded to a timber company.
No one ever explained why? We need to be very careful and protective of changing uses of timber land!