By Pepper Fisher
CLALLAM COUNTY – Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, was in town last week to get a first-hand look at 110 acres of steep timberland sites on either side of Lake Sutherland. It’s land that she has included as part of a total of 2,000 acres of set-aside forest for conservation.
Last year, the legislature gave Franz’s Department of Natural Resources $70 million to purchase forested land. Roughly $50 million was used to purchase encumbered lands, and $20 million for 2,000 acres of structurally complex forests in Western Washington for conservation.
They partnered with five counties, Clallam, Jefferson, King, Snohomish, and Whatcom, to identify the 2,000 acres of land to be set aside, and worked together to find lands that are “most valuable for protecting fish and wildlife habitats and natural and cultural values.”
Also included are two stands of timber totaling 69 acres at the site known as Power Plant in the Elwha River watershed.
Clallam County Commissioner Randy Johnson joined Franz at the Lake Sutherland site, and we asked him what he thought of including it in the deal.
“Being honest, I looked at it. My opinion, it’s absolutely perfect for something that should be set aside. It’s very steep, comes right down to where you enter into the south side of Lake Sutherland. Look up on the other and it’s also very steep, very difficult to log in, if you did, and what a great place to sequester carbon. Right?”
The deal requires that the DNR also purchase replacement lands of similar value where timber will be harvested to continue to support schools and other junior taxing districts.
“The thought is, once you value these properties, that value will then be transferred. There’s a proviso in place so that they can find replacement lands either in Clallam County, or sometimes it may not be in Clallam County, for these properties. And then the revenue from these replacement lands will flow to the county and the junior taxing district.”
In addition to setting aside the 2000 acres with funding from the Climate Commitment Act, the DNR also completed, in December, their largest land acquisition in a decade, purchasing 9,000 acres in Wahkiakum County.
(Graphic: Areas shaded dark are lands included at Lake Sutherland)