Tumwater School District (TSD) Superintendent Kevin Bogatin expressed the district’s support for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources—Board of Natural Resources (BNR) timber sales.
At the October 24 TSD Board meeting, Bogatin said that the board and he have been receiving emails encouraging them to testify in the upcoming November 5 BNR meeting regarding past and future timber sales.
“Timber sales—those sales go directly to our debt service and so it's about a $7,000,000 multi-year plan…so there's a pretty significant impact to us over time,” said Bogatin.
Patches of forestland were supposed to be auctioned in February this year, but the sales were put on hold after the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) asked for a pause in cutting down old-growth trees.
After asking to halt the sales, BNR gave the BoCC until October 1 to submit a plan to protect the county’s “structurally complex” forests.
Bogatin said that it is expected that BNR will take action in November on some of the paused sales.
“We're not the only district impacted by the pause and sales of timber. So Olympia, Rochester, Griffin— all four of us are impacted by this. So we've all attended the July BNR meeting to testify in support of moving forward,” said Bogatin.
Bogatin said that the four school districts crafted a joint letter to the BoCC on August 6 to request a meeting about the impact of revenues from DNR state trust lands, but the meeting did not take place.
The draft of Bogatin’s letter to the BNR can be accessed on the meeting’s document packet.
“I have drafted a letter as part of public testimony for the November 5th BNR meeting expressing my support of continued sustainably managed timber sales, while balancing the need to ensure the long-term health of both our forests and our communities (see below),” wrote Bogatin on his report.
"October 18, 2024
Dear Members of the Board of Natural Resources,
On behalf of Tumwater School District, I want to extend our appreciation for the income our district has received from sustainably managed timber sales on DNR trust lands. This revenue has been instrumental in supporting ongoing capital projects and much needed campus and building improvements, supplementing the district’s budget during challenging financial times.
We recognize the careful balance the DNR and the BNR maintain between environmental stewardship and generating revenue for public institutions like schools. Your work helps ensure that districts such as ours can continue to provide high-quality education to the students we serve, especially in light of the ongoing fiscal pressures faced by public education in Washington.
We understand that there is often significant public discourse around forestry management, but we want to make clear our recognition and gratitude for the revenue that helps us maintain critical services for our students. We also support continued sustainable forestry practices, knowing that this ensures the long-term health of both our forests and our communities.
Thank you for your dedication to managing these valuable state resources and for your ongoing efforts to maintain financial stability for your beneficiaries and junior taxing districts, including Tumwater School District.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Kevin Bogatin
Superintendent”
9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
anothername
Please leave the old growth forests alone.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
OlyBlues
You have to love the Tumwater Schools Superintendent thanking the DNR for practicing balance, when in reality if the Tumwater School District did the same thing they would be able to live within their means and balance a budget without advocating for the devastation of old growth forests.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
hptrillium
DNR could sell enough forests with younger trees to pay the schools and other debts. DNR is not practicing environmental stewardship despite their saying that they do. There is little or no real old growth left. Environmental organizations are trying to save the second growth that are 80 - 100 years old. These are the trees that will be old growth in the future if they are not cut down now. DNR is rushing to sell off 11 of these parcels before Dave Upthegrove may become the next Lands Commissioner. He will stop the cutting of the Legacy Forests. There are many possible solutions to getting income for beneficiaries while saving these forests for their carbon and ecosystem benefits. Please email DNR before Nov 5 when the decisions whether to sell these forests will be made. Also please vote for Dave Upthegrove.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
TurninginTumwater
Washington State Forests are managed very well for fish, wildlife and forest conservation, per their Habitat Conservation Plan for State Forest Trust Lands (HCP). No other state manages commercial forests to the high degree of conservation followed by WA-DNR. Because the HCP was developed and approved after many months of intensive public review in 1996-1997, many folks now are not aware of the details of that 70-yr guidance that compels the BNR to follow very strong forest conservation aimed at protecting and restoring aquatic and terrestrial habitats for dozens of protected and at-risk species.
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/programs-and-services/forest-resources/habitat-conservation-state-trust-lands
In sum, while some folks now may prefer that few older conifer trees are not cut, by rigorously following their HCP for Trust Lands, WA-DNR is demonstrating a high level of effective conservation.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
nthays22
I think the irony here has been alluded to in several other comments here. It is what Bogatin says about the "careful balance" between environmental stewardship and generating revenue for public institutions. There has been no careful balance at all. It is absurd to be selling 11 parcels in November all at once, and will even cause a temporary timber glut, and DNR is only doing it in order to squeeze in these sales before the election. Cutting younger plantation forests, not old growth, can provide just as much revenue. The whole thing is unconscionable.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
TurdFerguson
What does a superintendent of public education know about forest management and conservation? Of course he will be thankful for any revenue that helps fund his institution. Duh.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
Perritt
The Department of Natural Resources Board is rushing the sale of 11 parcels of Legacy Forests, the last of the most mature, complex, diverse , old stands in Capital Forest. They are doing this without hearing the will of the people who live here in our communities. They are rushing the sales right before the Commissioner leaves office and without transparency or respect for the people who want to be heard in our communities. There is a plan that was submitted by the Thurston County Commissioners that shows how cutting these irreplaceable old forests is unnecessary to fund our community’s schools. But DNR doesn’t want to hear it. No transparency. No respect. They have their own agenda- the interests of the timber industry. When last stands of our legacy trees are cut- then what? It’s deception at it’s best.
Tuesday, October 29 Report this
Spk5395
Stop with the "old growth" nonsense. The DNR does not auction off "old growth" timber. It's all second or third growth. There are some beneficial products that must be made from mature timber such as laminated veneer lumber and utility poles.
Wednesday, October 30 Report this
GeorgeBurazer
GeorgeB
If one writes to balance sustainability of those legacy trees in the Capitol Forest
along with needs to educate our students, one must show those students and their
parents that certain carbon storing trees that do the environments air and water cleaning must
must be left to stand and not be sold on the auction block.
Wednesday, October 30 Report this