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

Plans to build a $73 million, 100-acre timber facility dedicated to supporting the creation of new wood products in rural Snohomish County received a significant boost from the federal government. The US Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau within the US Department of Commerce, announced a $6 million grant in support of the planned Darrington Wood Innovation Center. The Wood … Read More

Sustainably managed working forests sequester a lot of carbon. How much you ask? For the first time, Rayonier has released a report that provides a clear accounting of just how much of its own sustainable forestry business has helped remove CO2 gas from the atmosphere. According to the report, Rayonier’s measured timberland assets sequestered an estimated 5.7 million metric tons … Read More

Just reading headline stories can leave the impression that legislative bodies are nothing but gridlock and partisan squabbling. The reality, however, is that most measures that pass through a legislature are good government bipartisan bills that achieve near-unanimous support. The Washington Legislature is no exception. A prime example of this comes from the forestry world and the lone WFPA-requested bill: HB … Read More

The forestry and wood products sectors have an important part to play in facilitating climate action today and into the future, according to panel of speakers at a virtual event last week. The Consulate General of Japan in Seattle hosted a webinar in partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Forest Agency of Japan and JETRO San Francisco … Read More

Is age just a number when it comes to trees? If we’re talking about how trees within working forests help address climate change, the answer is ‘no,’ according to the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI). The NCASI, an organization dedicated to helping the forest products industry achieve its environmental and sustainability goals, created an infographic explaining how … Read More