FORKS — The Nature Conservancy has purchased nearly 4 square miles of Jefferson County forestland along the Clearwater River from Fruit Growers Supply Co.
The 2,538-acre sale, which closed last Wednesday, is part of an initiative to increase salmon populations, promote sustainable economies and restore temperate rain forest along coastal salmon streams, officials said last week.
Combined with earlier acquisitions, The Nature Conservancy is now managing nearly 8,000 acres of forestlands along the Queets and Clearwater rivers in West Jefferson County.
Officials said the recent acquisition will help create a 38-mile conservation corridor along the Clearwater River, a tributary of the Queets.
Nature Conservancy foresters and ecologists have developed long-term plans that include planting trees, restoring salmon and wildlife habitat and long-rotation timber harvest where it makes sense, said Mike Stevens, state director for The Nature Conservancy.
“Coastal communities depend on salmon, forests and a healthy ocean,” Stevens said in a Thursday news release.
“We’re working with local communities to ensure that these forests will continue to provide recreation and sustainable livelihoods from salmon and timber for generations to come.”
Said Fruit Growers President Mark Lindgren: “Fruit Growers’ timberlands are not just a financial resource but also a legacy for future generations.”
“This transaction with The Nature Conservancy will be part of that legacy,” Lindgren said.
Quinault Nation President Fawn Harris said the long-term vision for the project “aligns closely with the Quinault Indian Nation’s interests in salmon and forest restoration, sustainable resources management and creation of local restoration jobs.”
Further south along the Washington coast, the Conservancy owns and manages nearly 8,000 acres at the Ellsworth Creek Preserve near the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge on Willapa Bay.
All Nature Conservancy lands in the region are open to the public.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.