Board of Natural Resources authorizes bid for 142 acres of Capitol State Forest

Posted

The Washington Board of Natural Resources (BNR) authorized to bid timber from 142 acres of Capitol State Forest at a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. 

The sale, nicknamed Matador, represents 7,288 metric board feet of wood with a minimum bid value of almost $3 million.  

Mike Sly, an assistant division manager at the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said the original area of the harvest site was 169 acres, but also identified 23 acres of the site for conservation.  

Matador represents two units of forestland located 10 miles west of Olympia. The first unit has stands that originated from 1900 to 1950, while the second unit contains stands from 1880 to 1910. 

Sly said that the forest that stands from the two units does not qualify as an old growth forest.  

During the public comment section of the meeting, Joshua Wright from Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, said that the group would appeal the board's decision at the Monday meeting.

The group has been advocating for the protection of legacy forests, such as those in the Matador sale, as legacy forests would grow to become old growth if preserved. 

2025 timber harvests 

The Matador sale represents 7,288 metric board feet of wood with a minimum bid value of almost $3 million.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube
The Matador sale represents two units of forestland shaded in gray and ten miles west of Olympia.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube

Matador is among the eight timber sales planned for 2025 in Capitol State Forest. Sly said that the eight timber sales represent 1,028 acres of forestland in Capitol State Forest. 

Sly said that the DNR has sold an average of 753 acres of Capitol State Forest annually. 

Sly added that conversations with the Thurston Board of County Commissioners regarding how it plans to use the Climate Commitment Act funding has led to the pause of two timber sales proposals called Star Wagon and Rad Aghast.

According to Sly, the two proposals should be part of the board’s agenda that day. 

Five out of six members of the BNR approved the Matador sale along with seven other timber proposals in Clallam, Cowlitz, King, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.

Board member Chris Reykdal left the board before the discussion on the timber sales began. 

The Monday meeting was Hillary Franz’s last meeting as the Public Lands Commissioner before Dave Upthegrove, who campaigned to protect legacy forests, takes the mantle.  

Comments

4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • anothername

    Urgh, stop cutting down the old trees. Curated tree stands are the way to go. Forests provide homes for wildlife, recreation, and clean air.

    Tuesday, January 14 Report this

  • wildnature

    You go Dave Upthegrove. Stop the cutting of our oldest trees.

    Tuesday, January 14 Report this

  • 2theroots

    In the last two month of 2024 and the end of Hillary's reign of clear cutting 15% of Capitol Forest Legacy Forest was sold off. At this rate in 6 years it would all be gone. Once gone it can never be replaced. But that if fine with DNR because they just want plantation forest. This is so short sighted to kill of the most drought resistant trees as we head into climate change!

    Tuesday, January 14 Report this

  • Thank you BNR for continued rational empirically based management of public trust forest lands. This is no easy task given misleading narratives regarding impacts, legacy, old-growth and climate change.

    Wednesday, January 15 Report this