Working Forests, Real People: What Olympia Is Missing – Washington Forest Protection Association

In a recent episode of the County Connection podcast hosted by Paul Jewell of the Washington State Association of Counties, Jason Spadaro, Executive Director of the Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA), delivered a powerful message: Washington’s working forests are essential — not just for jobs and rural communities, but for climate, clean water, and future sustainability.Yet, Spadaro warns, these lands are increasingly threatened by state agencies like the Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources, whose expanding regulations are making it harder for landowners to manage forests sustainably.

A Legacy of Stewardship and a Future at Risk
Spadaro describes Washington’s private forestland owners as deeply rooted stewards — families and companies alike — who manage about 4 million acres across the state. Their land provides renewable wood products, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, clean water, and recreation. These forests support rural economies while contributing essential materials to every Washington home, school, and business.

But now, Spadaro says, “there’s a growing gap between the people making decisions in Olympia and the people working the land.” He points to Ecology’s proposed Type Np buffer expansion — which could remove another 7% of working forestland from production — as a prime example of regulatory overreach that ignores science and violates the state’s own adaptive management principles.

The Danger of One-Sided Narratives
The public — and much of the press — supports headlines like “fight climate change” or “protect salmon.” But Spadaro urges editors, policymakers, and the public to ask: At what cost? When those headlines translate into sweeping regulations on rural landowners, the burden is not evenly shared.

Spadaro explains that regulations like the Np rule do real harm. They:
– Remove land from productive use.
– Shrink county tax bases that fund schools, fire districts, and hospitals.
– Drive mills out of business.
– Threaten the ability of small and family forestland owners to stay afloat.

And all of this, he notes, often happens without meaningful improvements to stream temperatures or salmon habitat — because current rules already work.

Sustainable Forestry Is Part of the Solution
Spadaro makes the case that Washington is one of the most environmentally responsible places in the world to grow and harvest wood. The Forests & Fish Law, signed in 1999, created a robust regulatory framework to protect water quality and fish habitat — and it’s been successful.

He notes that:
– Post-harvest temperatures on Type Np streams average 12°C, well below the 16°C water quality standard.
– Forest landowners have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in road upgrades, stream improvements, and culvert removals.
– Wood is a renewable, carbon-sequestering material — and if we don’t produce it here, we’ll import it from places with weaker environmental protections.

Spadaro says it’s time for policymakers to recognize that working forests are not the problem. They are part of the solution — for climate, clean water, biodiversity, and rural resilience.

Calling for Balanced Solutions
The podcast offers a sobering reminder: forestry isn’t a relic — it’s the foundation of rural Washington. But that foundation is cracking under the weight of cumulative regulatory decisions made without input from those directly affected.

Spadaro’s closing message is clear:
“We have to manage our forests. No matter what the goal — habitat, fire resilience, or carbon — it takes stewardship. Without it, forests decline. We don’t need more restrictions. We need policies that reflect reality on the ground.”

Listen to the full podcast here.