CHIMACUM — Residents expressed wariness of a proposed land swap of more than 4,000 acres of forest between the state Department of Natural Resources and timber company Pope Resources.
On Wednesday night, about 100 people listened to a state presentation on the proposed swap which would consolidate state land near the Olympic National Forest and Pope Resources land near Dabob Bay and Port Ludlow.
Pope Resources wants to manage lands more efficiently, and has no plans to develop a mine or quarry on the land, said John Shay, Pope spokesman, in response to a question posed at a the gathering.
“Our main desire is to increase timber land management efficiency,” he said.
“We have no plans to mine or develop a quarry on these lands.”
The proposal is for Pope Resources to exchange 4,454 acres of private, mostly third-generation timber land for 4,186 acres of state Department of Resources land.
The exchange, Resources representatives said, would consolidate Resources land near the Olympic National Forest with Pope Resources land near Dabob Bay and Port Ludlow.
As it stands now, the ownership of the land is intermingled throughout the south part of East Jefferson County.
John Viada, manager of Resources Olympic region, said the goal of the swap was to consolidate the lands into one, large contiguous block that would be easier to manage.
“This is one place we know we can do some long-term forest management,” Viada said.
“This is a beneficial exchange for the trust lands.”
Pope Resources did not introduce any information during the two-hour public meeting, but company representatives fielded most of the questions.
Several Port Ludlow residents questioned the intentions of the timber company.
Pope Resources has proposed development of a quarry on land near Port Ludlow, which would not be part of the proposed swap.
The Port Ludlow Village Council and the Port Ludlow Association are involved in a lawsuit with Pope to halt the development of the quarry.
Shay said the land swap should not be confused with the proposed quarry.
“We don’t have any interest in putting a quarry on these lands,” Shay said.
“That’s a misconception we want to make clear.”
Resources officials were asked if the agency would consider putting restrictions on what Pope could do with the land after it was swapped.
That question was answered with a definitive “no.”
“State trust lands are held for the beneficiary of the public,” Viada said.
“By law, we cannot put restrictions on them which would reduce the value of the land.”
Along with improving state management efficiency, the deal would provide long-term trust revenue for county services and for building public schools and universities, said Cathy Baker, Resources spokeswoman.
“It would increase commercial forestry opportunities and increase our ability to maintain a viable habitat in the area,” Baker said.
“It will also help maintain the public forest land base and will serve as an increased benefit to the trust.”
The exchange involves three state trusts: Common School for building public schools statewide, University Original benefiting University of Washington, and State Forest Transfer lands, revenues of which support county services such as fire districts.
All exchange lands are in East Jefferson County with the exception of one Pope Resources parcel that is divided by the Jefferson-Clallam county line.
Pope Resources has been a land and timber owner in the Pacific Northwest for more than 150 years.
The company owns 115,000 acres of productive timberland and nearly 3,000 acres of development property, most of which is within a 50-mile radius of Seattle.
The land is managed through Pope’s Olympic Resource Management division.
The exchange will be based on the market values of the state and Pope properties with values being determined by an independent appraisal.
Not all lands being appraised will necessarily be included in the final exchange package.
Once both parties agree on the lands to be exchanged, a final agreement will be presented to the Board of Natural Resources for a decision at one of its monthly meetings.
A public hearing for public remarks and official testimony has not yet been scheduled.
Information at www.resources.wa.gov will be updated as it becomes available.
For more information, write Cathy Baker, Olympic Region transaction coordinator, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, 411 Tillicum Lane, Forks, WA 98331, phone 360-374-2860 or e-mail cathy.baker@resources.wa.gov.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
