Pacific salmon and the pristine, fresh waterways they inhabit have long been integral to the Pacific Northwest’s identity. That is why when salmon populations began to decline, governments, agencies, private forestland owners and other stakeholders came together to find a solution that would protect salmon habitat and aid in the iconic fish’s recovery. This year marks 22 years since the … Read More

As wildfires throughout the West dominate local and national news headlines, a University of Washington analysis of western forest fires concludes that more than a century of fire exclusion has made forests more vulnerable to large-scale wildfires. The study contends the misguided notion that all forest fires were bad created “dense forests packed with excess trees and brush that ignite … Read More

Former Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) executive director and Washington State legislator Mark Doumit was quoted as saying: “It’s an act of faith when a farmer, a tree farmer, plants a tree.” Doumit, a former small tree farmer and state legislator, served in the Washington State Legislature from 1997 through 2006, where he served three terms as a state representative … Read More

The Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) executive committee recently appointed Jason Spadaro as interim executive director for the 113-year-old organization. Jason’s unanimous appointment follows the sudden passing of longtime executive director, Mark Doumit, in late June. Jason, who will serve as interim executive director has more than 30 years of forestry sector experience and is currently the owner of Noble … Read More

Integrity, kindness, savvy, wisdom, generosity and fun-loving are the oft-used words that people used to describe beloved friend, colleague, lifelong public servant and forestry sector supporter Mark Doumit. The Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) lost a dear member of its family and the forestry sector one if its most passionate champions with the announcement that Mark passed away unexpectedly June … Read More

Washington’s working forests have long led the way on environmental stewardship and sustainability. Recognizing early on that working forests require resilient trees and a healthy environment, Washington’s private forestland owners have embraced the guiding principle of using the best available science to improve and evolve forest practices. The certainty that good science will lead the way has contributed to a … Read More

Okanogan County could soon be the test site for a pilot project that aims to transform thinned trees, logging slash and other organic waste into a carbon-sequestering agricultural product while supporting forest health efforts. The Methow Valley News reports that the Washington state Legislature set aside $160,000 in funding in the biennium budget for a pilot project that would convert … Read More

The 2021 Washington legislative session wrapped up in late April after an historic 105 fully virtual days. The session began promising restraint and a focus on only a handful of policy issues.  Indeed, the total bill count was lower than any session since the 1980’s. That said, many of the bills that did pass contained monumental and long sought-after policy … Read More

Even though the 8th biennial Salmon Recovery Conference will be online this year, coming together for the sake of restoring salmon populations remains the focus as people convene remotely. The Salmon Recovery Conference, which happens ever odd numbered year, provides an opportunity for stakeholders – government agencies, tribal governments, private forest landowners, environmentalists, recreational fishermen, scientists and others – to … Read More

A proposal by two former public officials to end timber harvests on state trust lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has drawn swift criticism from a current lawmaker, former Democratic state legislator and others. State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-24th) and former State Rep. Brian Blake (D-19th) both penned op-eds in different print publications criticizing … Read More