I would like to thank our Washington State Legislature for including $83 million in the budget to be used to conserve 2,000 acres of older forest in our state.
Our forests are a critical shield against climate change because they store a great deal of carbon; carbon that would’ve been released if they were logged as had originally been planned.
By choosing to conserve these forests, we are choosing to invest in the future of our region and our planet.
I look forward to hearing from state, county, and municipal government agencies and officials about which areas will be conserved as part of that 2,000 acres.
I am excited to see the state making concerted efforts to protect our forests and mitigate our carbon impact, and hopefully we can increase the conserved areas over time.
Great progress has already been made with the city council of Port Angeles voting to postpone the Aldwell timber sale within the Elwha watershed.
It was based on sound reasoning, particularly, in light of last year’s stage three water alert: in order to protect Port Angeles’s water supply, logging affecting the city’s water supply should not be subject to a trade off of timber sales for infrastructure.
Clallam county as a beneficiary of the DNR state trust has the right to decide that state lands should be destined for a sustainable future which preserves carbon rich mature forests and ensures a healthy river benefiting everyone.
Peter Stedman
Port Angeles