A few days ago, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz publicly announced the cancellation of the “Power Plant” timber sale totaling 126 acres located in the Elwha River basin.
Though only 69 acres was nominated for permanent conservation, it was a huge victory for the City of Port Angeles, its residents, and some would say the planet.
Monies generated from timber sales are used to support local infrastructure, and in response to this need, the state Legislature will replace the revenue from this sale with the purchase of new working forests, with funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA).
Commissioner Franz’s announcement also recognizes the value of logging working forests i.e. younger plantation forests that are not in a critical watershed.
This is a definite win-win scenario.
More importantly, Franz’s declaration is aligned with the changing world we live in, with increasingly warm, dry summers, the role of older forests provide more resilience in a warming world and safeguard the hydrological cycle that the Elwha River needs to ensure adequate water supplies for both the city and salmon.
We know that not cutting older forests is the easiest way to sequester more carbon, mitigate fire severity, maintain cooler temperatures, improve water quality, and provide more favorable habitat for wildlife.
An older forest of 100 plus years will store 100 tons more carbon than a working forest and its resulting wood products.
Studies show that tree harvests are the single greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Clallam County, far surpassing other sources.
Peter Stedman
Port Angeles