Sustainable forestry: Definition elusive

All sides of timber debate seek set of harvest guidelines

JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published November 7, 2001

OLYMPIA -- What constitutes sustainable forestry was the timely, yet somewhat elusive, topic Tuesday before the state Board of Natural Resources.

Everybody from the Weyerhaeuser Co. to the Washington Environmental Council has zeroed in on the concept of sustainable forestry as a way to guide decisions on where and how many trees are harvested off 12 million acres of state and private timberland.

Weyerhaeuser recently added vice president of sustainable forestry to its corporate structure, placing Cassie Phillips in the post.

But there's little agreement on what constitutes a sustainable timber harvest for any given piece of land, Phillips and others agreed.

"There isn't a silver bullet here," she said. "It's a voyage, not a destination."

The state Department of Natural Resources is in the midst of recalculating the annual harvest target on its 2.1 million acres of forest land. State Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland said the task should be completed by mid-2002.

On Tuesday, the board that will adopt the new harvest plan heard from timber company officials and forestry professors about how to achieve a sustainable harvest level.

"Just keeping the land in forestry is the biggest part of the goal," said John Gorman, corporate forester for the Simpson Investment Co., which owns Shelton-based Simpson Timber Co.

Speaking of old growth

He suggested private landowners should protect wetlands, stream corridors, soil health and habitat for species that need young to mid-age trees.

The task of maintaining old-growth species is, for the most part, a function of public lands, he said.

That drew a response from Marcy Golde of the Washington Environmental Council.

"I would argue that everybody has a moral obligation to manage in ways that are protective of all species," she said. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't harvest wood."

The 1.6 million acres of state-owned land in Western Washington that is included in a habitat conservation plan will see a 500 percent increase in timber stands 160 years old and older over the next 50 years, noted DNR land steward Bruce Mackey.

By 2200, about 40 percent of the lands covered by the habitat conservation plan will be 100 years old or older, he said. Today, it's less than 10 percent.

The habitat conservation plan exacts an economic price, said Bruce Lippke, a University of Washington forestry professor. The land will lose 57 percent of its economic value, unless new ways of managing for timber production and environmental protection are applied.

He argued that setting large tracts of land off limits to timber harvesting is an ineffective tool for practicing sustainable forestry.

Another discussion

After the presentations, several citizens urged the board to schedule another panel discussion with forestry experts who have a different take on sustainable forestry. Sutherland agreed to convene such a group for the board.

"Consult the total breadth of ideas," McCleary area resident Janet Strong said.

For instance, the state should consider altering its forestry practices so it can obtain certification for producing eco-friendly wood, said Larry Nussbaum, program director for the Northwest Natural Resource Group.

"Sustainable forestry is best accomplished through a Forest Stewardship Council certification," Nussbaum said.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a nonprofit, third-party forest management certifications system to determine if timber is grown and manufactured to meet a set of environmental, social and business criteria.

Home Depot, Lowe's and other major retailers have announced their intent to market and sell wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

John Dodge covers the environ-ment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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