Christian Sartin, Forester

bryanForester's Corner

Years working with forests: 5 Favorite Forest Creature: Winter wren Christian joined the Hampton team in 2018. With degrees in Ecology and Forestry from Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington Christian “cruises” timber for the company–appraising and administrating private and public timber sales for our sawmills in SW Washington. Christain and his dog, Bo spend half their days in the woods. He loves … Read More

Dale Claassen, Reforestation Forester

bryanForester's Corner

Years working in the woods: 32 Favorite Forest Creature: Long-Tailed Weasel Dale manages 60,000 acres of forestland for Hampton, ranging from 200-3,700 feet of elevation in Oregon’s coast range. These forests get 35-120 inches of rain a year plus a decent amount of snow in winter. White German Shepherd, Sam joins him most days in the woods. Dale grew up in a … Read More

Claudine Reynolds, Wildlife Biologist

bryanForester's Corner

“Working as a wildlife biologist is a fulfilling career that aligns with my lifelong passion for the natural world. My curiosity began as a child in the Oregon wilderness, exploring the rivers and mountains with my family. These childhood experiences led to young adult adventures which inspired me to pursue a job working in the great outdoors. I chose to … Read More

Russ Vaagen

bryanForester's Corner

As Vice President of Vaagen Bros. Lumber in Colville Washington, I personally spend a great deal of time with the members of our communities engaging about the importance of good forest management. This season’s fires are evidence of the importance of quality forest management. Working with our Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition, we have worked on more than 30 successful Forest Service … Read More

Heather Druffel, Forester

bryanForester's Corner

Unlike most foresters I did not obtain a degree in forestry, but in ecology and conservation biology with a minor in wildlife, and I am now working on my Natural Resource Policy and Administration master’s degree from the University of Florida. I have done everything from environmental education to marine biology research. It wasn’t until it was suggested to me … Read More

Extreme temperatures, disease, beetles impacted forest health in 2021

bryanBLOG

An unseasonably hot summer, fungal infection and insects damaged tens of thousands of trees last year, according to an annual Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest health report. DNR forest scientists and US Forest Service (USFS) jointly surveyed nearly 19 million forested acres throughout the state for their annual aerial detection survey. Of the 19 million acres examined, the … Read More

2017 WFPA Annual Meeting Videos and Annual Report

bryanNEWS & EVENTS, VIDEO

Watch WFPA’s 2017 Annual Meeting on TVW: President’s welcome and remarks, Executive Director’s remarks, awards presentation. Remarks by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “More Than A Forest — A Healthy, Working Forest” with Jenny Knoth (Green Crow), Jeremy Marshall (Hancock Natural Resource Group), Mike Warjone (Port Blakely), and Patti Case (Green Diamond Resource Co/Moderator). Luncheon Keynote Speaker – Dow … Read More

Forest owners are expanding forests to meet demand

bryanBLOG

A new report shows that as demand for forest products increases, the amount of forest inventory available goes up, which then leads to more forestland to store carbon and improve the environment. The report by Forest2Market (full report here) called “Historical Perspective on the Relationship between Demand and Forest Productivity in the US South,” analyzes U.S. Forest Service data in Southern … Read More

CLT is taking off in the Pacific Northwest

bryanBLOG

A story in the Seattle Times this week explores the benefits of cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a renewable and affordable building material, and how CLT is starting to take off in the Northwest. CLT is a contrast to traditional building materials like steel, concrete and plastic, which are major contributors to toxic greenhouse gases. “There’s a need to reinvent construction so that … Read More

Tom Westergreen wins ATFS National Outstanding Inspector of the Year

bryanBLOG

We are happy to report that the American Tree Farm System has given its 2017 National Outstanding Inspector of the Year award to a Washington forestry leader: Tom Westergreen. From the ATFS press release: Westergreen has a life-long passion for tree farming and ATFS. He was raised on and currently manages his family tree farm (in Whatcom County), land that … Read More

Pacific Education Institute testifies for natural resource jobs

bryanBLOG

We last wrote about the Pacific Education Institute (PEI) in December, when it awarded ten $5,000 grants to Washington programs that support student exploration of natural resource management, agricultural science, and environmental science careers. Since then, PEI has hired a new executive director, Kathryn Kurtz, and Kurtz just testified to the Senate Ways and Means Committee in favor of legislation … Read More

Statewide effort to clear fish barriers takes shape

bryanBLOG

As we’ve noted before, forest landowners have been the state leader in clearing fish passage barriers in Washington over the past two decades. Since 1999, with the passage of the historic Forests & Fish Law, state officials estimate that 6,000 barriers have been removed, and about 6,000 miles of habitat have been opened up, with forest landowners responsible for up to … Read More

Forestry issues get attention in Olympia

bryanBLOG

It’s heartening to see some focus at the Washington State Capitol during this year’s legislative session on issues of forest health, active forest management and better fighting wildfires. We’re seeing the momentum around the same time that the forestry and pulp and paper industries held their Forest Products Advocacy Day in Olympia. Gov. Jay Inslee has called for more forest … Read More

Legislature could increase prescribed burns and private fire contractors

bryanBLOG

The Washington Legislature last year considered several reforms to the way the state fights wildfires, and it approved a pilot project to increase the use of prescribed burns to make forests more resilient to fire. That spirit of change is continuing in this year’s legislative session, with state lawmakers considering more ways to increase prescribed burns and legislation that would … Read More

President Trump says Forest Service can hire summer firefighters

bryanBLOG

President Trump has said he will allow the U.S. Forest Service to hire seasonal firefighters for this summer’s wildfire season. The announcement ends a period of uncertainty that included a letter of concern from three Washington lawmakers: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Sunnyside). Last week, the three lawmakers were part of … Read More

Reports suggest reform in fighting Wash. wildfires

bryanBLOG

New reports on the 2015 Twisp River Fire that killed three U.S. Forest Service firefighters suggest several lessons for battling fires in the future. From the Spokane Spokesman-Review: An after-action review of a fatal incident is normal, but this time the Forest Service teamed up with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources for a learning review. The learning review … Read More

Mass timber now on display in D.C.

bryanBLOG

Cross-laminated timber has now arrived in one of the country’s major museums in Washington, D.C. The National Building Museum has on display an exhibit called Timber City, which highlights the benefits of mass timber construction products like cross-laminated timber, laminated veneer and laminated strand lumber. The Architects Newspaper has more details: (I)t’s the 21st century, and a new exhibition at … Read More

Northwest companies take major role in CLT

bryanBLOG

A new story from the Associated Press explores the critical role that Northwest companies are playing in the rise of cross-laminated timber in the U.S. The story is also notable because since it was produced by the Associated Press wire service, the article has been published in newspapers all over the country, helping to spread the word about the benefits … Read More

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is from the Northwest

bryanBLOG

Given the towering evergreens of the Northwest, it’s not a surprise that trees from this region would often be chosen to serve as the official Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. But it’s still a thrill to see the trees make their way across the country and eventually stand in lights at the U.S. Capitol for the whole country to … Read More

More fishers reintroduced in Washington

bryanBLOG

The fisher, a large member of the weasel, mink and otter family, has returned to Washington in recent years after disappearing in the mid-1900s because of overtrapping and loss of habitat. The revival of the fisher is because of efforts by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other leaders to reintroduce the … Read More

Federal wildfire reform in 2016 goes up in smoke

bryanBLOG

For several years now we’ve followed the efforts in Congress to pass federal timber reform. None of those efforts have proved successful so far, but more recently there was hope on the horizon that Congress may approve at least one measure that would have provided more money for wildfire prevention. There appeared to be bipartisan momentum to end the practice … Read More

Washington kids gets funding for outdoor education

bryanBLOG

Mark Doumit, the Executive Director of the Washington Forest Protection Association, and Bill Taylor, President of Taylor Shellfish, wrote in an Everett Herald op-ed last year about the importance of teaching children about working outdoors and in natural resources industries. It’s heartening to see school districts, state lawmakers and nonprofits like Washington STEM show strong support for improving education in … Read More

Alaska Airlines flight runs on fuel powered by wood

bryanBLOG

Airplane fuel made from wood? We’ve been following the story closely over several years, including this post last year, and so we are especially happy to report that it happened: an Alaska Airlines flight last week became the first commercial flight to ever run on wood. An Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Washington, D.C., on Monday morning was powered … Read More

Collaboration is focus of 2016 WFPA Annual Meeting

bryanBLOG, NEWS & EVENTS

Collaboration and the concerns of rural communities were top of mind this week at the 108th annual meeting of the Washington Forest Protection Association in Olympia on Nov. 16. The election of Donald Trump as president shined a spotlight on the needs of residents who live in smaller communities outside large cities, several participants said, and Washington state government’s continued … Read More

Peter Goldmark reflects on 8 years overseeing WA public lands

bryanBLOG

Washington Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark is leaving office in January after announcing earlier this year that he wouldn’t run for re-election. His eight years in office managing 5.6 million acres of public lands gives him a unique and valuable perspective on the state of Washington’s public forests. He will speak at next week’s WFPA Annual Meeting, and he sat … Read More