2006 News Archive
In 2001, the Goldsborough Dam was taken down, and now salmon numbers are rising in Goldsborough Creek. The creek runs through Green Diamond Resource Company’s land, near Shelton, and was dammed up in the late 1800’s to produce electricity. Then Simpson Timber Company ended up with it and used it to divert water for its lumber mill. After flooding damaged the dam, Simpson decided to take it out. Now, with the dam removed, salmon numbers are increasing as fish return to the creek.
Weyerhaeuser Company’s disaster relief efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita earned the company the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership. The award, which recognizes outstanding employee and community relations, was presented to Weyerhaeuser at a ceremony at the White House on Nov. 29. A part of the disaster relief efforts include a guide, Rebuilding a Community: An Employer’s Guide to Assisting Employees in a Disaster, that was praised by one national homeland security official as the gold standard for disaster relief programs and has been used as a benchmark by relief organizations.
Governor Chris Gregoire announced she will invest in a Working Lands Initiative so that farms and forests continue to be a thriving part of Washington’s economy. Gov. Gregoire plans to create an office of Working Farms and Forests to provide more options for landowners who want to stay on the landscape that are dealing with the pressure to develop their lands. She also wants to promote increased security for family forest landowners by supporting 15-year permits for family forest landowners.
A conversation with Retiring Washington Forest Protection Association Executive Director Bill Wilkerson and former TVW President Denny Heck.
This episode highlights Mark Doumit’s career as a county commissioner, a legislator, and then looks forward to his career as Executive Director of WFPA. He discusses what he is looking forward to with his job at WFPA, his views on the forest industry and how it’s a sunrise industry for Washington State, and how past experiences with collaboration and relationship building will help him in his new position.
The State Court of Appeals ruled in the industry’s favor in two consolidated forest practices cases. In the first case, the Court upheld the Department of Ecology’s 2003 rule change that made its cumulative effects/segmentation rule inapplicable to forest practices applications. In the second case, the Court upheld the Forest Practices Board’s rejection of a petition to adopt its own cumulative effects/segmentation rule, noting that the Board could adopt a rule if they chose to, but that it wasn’t mandatory under the Forest Practices Act.
Senator Mark Doumit has been hired as the WFPA Executive Director effective November 1. Doumit follows current Executive Director, Bill Wilkerson, who steps down at the end of December. He will be the sixth Executive Director of the Association since it was founded in 1908. Doumit’s 18 years of experience in public office combined with his background in farming and natural resources gives him the right experience for the job. Doumit served as Wahkiakum County Commissioner for eight years, then another ten in the Washington State Legislature, six in the House and the past four in the Senate. He is also a farmer, commercial fisher, business administration graduate of Washington State University, and a Washington native. Having served in the legislature for the past decade, he’s worked on many forestry, environmental and natural resources bills. Doumit also feels strongly about working in a collaborative and bi-partisan way.
The Nisqually Land Trust acquired 404 acres of timberland outside of Ashford, WA, near the main entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park, from Pope Resources with a federal grant from the Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources. It’s the largest deal in the Land Trust’s history and will permanently protect habitat for spotted owls, marbled murrelets and bald eagles, all of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
In the summer 2006 NewsLine edition, a publication created by USDA Forest Products Laboratory, an article shows that current research has been finding high-value uses for forest thinnings to help lower the cost of expensive treatments that improve forest health and lower the chance for catastrophic wildfires. The first steps of the research project were completed on a site in the Colville National Forest near Usk, WA. Their results have shown that small-diameter, thinned trees, once thought to be inferior, are in fact suitable for both lumber and pulp production.
The annual Salmon Homecoming Celebration will take place this year September 8-10 at Magnuson Park in Seattle. Activities include pow wows, salmon bakes, Native American dancing, music and storytelling, exhibits, and activities for the entire family.
Vicki Christiansen has been appointed as the Executive Director of Regulatory Programs by Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland. Christiansen, as of September 15, will be the State Forester and will serve as Commissioner Sutherland’s designated Chair of the Forest Practices Board. She has 26 years of experience with the Department of Natural Resources.
Representative Jim Buck was presented a plaque from WFPA at the Grays Harbor County Fair. The plaque recognizes him for promoting jobs in rural Washington, protecting salmon habitat in Washington’s forests, and for years of dedication and hard work on the Forests & Fish Law.
Each summer, WFPA sponsors the six-week Teachers on Summer Assignment Program (TOSA), where teachers partner with area timber companies to gain hands-on work experience. The teachers also work with mentors from forest products companies to accomplish research goals on a wide range of environmental topics, while also developing activities for the classroom aligned with state Essential Academic Learning Requirements.
The ‘Cost-Effectiveness of the Black Bear Supplemental Feeding Program in Western Washington’ report by Georg Ziegltrum was published in the June 2006 Wildlife Society Bulletin (Volume 34, No. 2). The study analyzes the cost of the supplemental feeding program to determine if it was the best expenditure for the Animal Damage Control Program.
Colin Moseley of Green Diamond Resource Company, Toby Murray of Murray Pacific Corporation, Steve Rogel of Weyerhaeuser and Jim Warjone of Port Blakely Tree Farms co-author an opinion editorial for the Longview Daily News on how their companies protect salmon and much more with the statewide Habitat Conservation Plan based on the Forests & Fish Law.
WFPA has partnered with the Department of Natural Resources, Stimson, Forest Capital Partners, and forestry organizations in Canada to produce four 30-minute television programs related to wildfire and forestry. The programs air on Northwest Cable News (NWCN) on Saturdays at 5pm and on KREM-TV in Spokane at various times. The show topics include: Communities Taking Action (airdate Aug. 6 at 3:30pm on KREM), Forest Health (Aug. 11 at 9pm on KREM), Landscape/Nursery (Aug. 5 on NWCN and Aug. 13 at 3:30 on KREM), and Home Construction (Aug. 12 on NWCN and Aug. 18 at 9pm on KREM).
Jack Thomas Ward explains in his opinion how recent dramatic declines in forest management have brought some undesirable consequences for forest health and wildlife and what can be done to fix them.
Official federal acknowledgment of Washington’s homegrown plan to manage its streams and forests for the next 50 years is a laudable achievement. But there is a catch.
In one of the most sweeping deals of its kind in the nation, federal officials Monday agreed to shield timber companies and forest landowners from provisions of the Endangered Species Act for 50 years if they follow new state rules to protect salmon when logging.
Washington State has received approval for the nation’s largest and most thorough Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). It covers 70 species of native fish and amphibians on 9.3 million acres of state and private forestland and more than 60,000 miles of streams. The HCP is a commitment to the public and a commitment to the resource that forest managers will do their part in protecting fish habitat and water quality.
Governor, Christine Gregoire, signed into law this year an excise tax reduction that will help keep Washington’s forest products industry and workers competitive in a global market place. The measure, adopted with overwhelming legislative support, reduces the B&O tax to a rate, commensurate with relief received by other state businesses.
An article provided by SAF Forestry that details Gov. Gregoire’s reduction of taxes on forestland owners, timber harvesters and wood and paper manufacturers.
An article written by Creigh H. Agnew from the Association of Washington Business.
A new B&O tax break for the forest products industry was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. It amounts to a savings of $10 million to $12 million per year for companies statewide.
The Oregon Logging Conference calls on the National Marine Fisheries Serivce and US Fish & Wildlife Service to approve the programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan, covering 9.1 million acres of forestland in Washington State.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Services announce that the final documents are available for the Washington Forest Practices Habitat Conservation Plan covering 70 fish and 7 amphibian species for on 9.1 million acres of forestland in the state.