CHIMACUM — A land swap of more than 4,000 acres of forest between the state Department of Natural Resources and timber titan Pope Resources is proposed near Dabob Bay to consolidate public land.
Pope Resources would exchange 4,454 acres of company land for 4,186 acres of Resources state lands to improve state management efficiencies and provide long-term trust revenue for county services and for building public schools and universities, said Julie Armbruster, Resources exchange project manager in the asset management and protection division.
It also will enhance wildlife habitat and improve recreational access, she said.
The Pope-Resources land swap should not be confused with the Dabob Bay Nature Preserve land swap that Resources has proposed, Armbruster stressed.
An informational meeting on the proposal is scheduled at 6 p.m. Wednesday, at the Chimacum School District Auditorium, 91 West Valley Road.
A public hearing for public remarks will be scheduled for early 2009, possibly in January, Armbruster said.
Recreational use
The land swap of mostly third-generation Pope timberlands, which has been managed as private timberland, would allow Resources to consolidate parcels, improving land access for public recreational use.
“We’re trying to get out of scattered stuff. We have these little tiny parcels inside and surrounded by Pope land,” Armbruster said.
“If we own a bigger block, people can go in and do more hunting and hiking with better access.”
For example, she said, there are Pope parcels that block or surround public access to Resources land, so people who want access to state land must get company permission to cross private land.
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.
Maps will be displayed at the Chimacum meeting and Resources representatives will be on hand to answer questions.
“We will take informal comments,” Armbruster said.
Exchange lands
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.
Much of the 46,000 acres that Pope Resources owns in Jefferson County is intermingled with state trust lands.
State trust lands are mostly forestland managed for timber production and considered second-generation forest.
The trees, wildlife and vegetation types are typically found in other parts of the northeast Olympic Peninsula.
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, Armbruster said. Values will be determined by an independent appraisal.
Not all lands being appraised will necessarily be included in the final exchange package, she said.
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.
Information on the Resources site at www.dnr.wa.gov will be updated as it becomes available, Armbruster said.
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@dnr.wa.gov.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
