DNR, county begin timber negotiation

Wahkiakum County officials took the first steps this week to change management of the county's state managed trust timberland.

Commissioner Dan Cothren reported that he had met with representatives from the state Department of Natural Resources last Friday to begin discussions over policy changes that would increase the county's revenue from the state managed timber.

Another meeting is planned for this June and will include Dean Sutherland, the state commissioner of public lands.

Cothren said the goal is to have a proposal ready to present to the state legislature for action early next year.

The county has 12,900 acres of timberland which are managed by the DNR. Revenue from logging the timber has provided a major portion of the county's Current Expense Fund revenue, but since the 1990s, the agency has set aside 3,000 acres with mature timber as it studied habitat needs and a management plan for endangered marbled murrelets. The seabirds fly inland to nest, laying eggs on the mossy branches of big trees. Taking that land out of production has led to a decline in revenue, commissioners say, and the set aside is forcing the agency to change its management plan for the county timber.

The county contends that case law has already established that the agency has a legal duty to manage the timber for the benefit of the county. Locking up the lands and setting them aside for wildlife habitat isn't part of the equation, county officials say.

Cothren said he's not contesting the results of the agency's management plan for marbled murrelets.

"I'm not arguing with their scientific study," he said. "The bottom line is that these lands were locked up and the county needs to be reimbursed. We're probably losing $300,000 to $400,000 a year on them."

Cothren said the group is trying to identify the different options that could be pursued.

One would be an exchange of acreage with another trust account, the Common School Fund.

"There are a couple others, but I don't want to get into them right now," he said.