PORT TOWNSEND — The state Department of Natural Resources predicts that it will receive more than $2 million in timber revenue to go back into Jefferson County.
Representatives of the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) discussed the third quarter income report with the county commissioners during the regular commission meeting Monday morning in the commissioners’ chamber of the Jefferson County Courthouse.
DNR Regional Manager Mona Griswold and DNR State Lands Assistant Drew Rosanbalm presented the information to the commissioners and explained that there has been $1.27 million in timber revenue generated so far in Jefferson County. DNR expects an additional $784,400 to be collected from October to the end of December, the commission documents stated.
$94,600 in revenue was collected during the third quarter, Rosanbalm said.
The net total for the year is predicted to be $2.06 million from current and past 2019 projects, the documents said.
Rosanbalm said Jefferson County is on track to meet the predicted $2.06 million.
“The income information in this report does not include anticipated revenues from additional planned activities for which contracts have not been finalized,” Hillary Franz, commissioner of public lands, said in a letter to the commission.
“These income estimates are net after the current agency management cost percentage has been applied.”
The 2019 timber revenue is down from 2018, when the total revenue was $2.57 million.
DNR manages approximately 14,705 acres of state Forest Transfer and Purchase Lands that benefit Jefferson County, commission documents state.
State Forest Transfer Lands are tracts acquired by the counties through tax foreclosures that were transferred to DNR to manage, and counties receive 75 percent of the revenue from these lands, after management fees established by the Board of Natural Resources, the documents said.
State Forest Purchase Lands are properties acquired through state-issued bonds to private owners. These lands are typically severely logged and were in need of management, the documents said.
The allocation of the revenue from those lands are split three ways: 26.5 percent to the county where the property is located, 50 percent to DNR for management expenses and the remaining 23.5 percent to the state general fund, the documents said.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at [email protected].
