Board of Natural Resources okays timberland transfer

The state Board of Natural Resources recently took action to reimburse three western Washington counties a total of $3.2 million for the transfer of 442 acres of state-owned forestland to conservation status.

Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties will receive the money through the State Forest Land Replacement Program. The program compensates small, timber-dependent counties for forestlands that Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages for their benefit but which cannot be harvested because of federal endangered species restrictions.

“These transfers will help fund vital public services for these three counties while protecting endangered species habitat,” said Peter Goldmark, Commissioner of Public Lands, who chairs the Board of Natural Resources.

The transfers authorized were:

--Wahkiakum County: $928,000 for 175.3 acres of marbled murrelet habitat that will be added to the Skamokawa Creek NRCA.

--Pacific County: $1 million for 63.4 acres of marbled murrelet habitat that will be added to the Naselle Highlands Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA).

--Skamania County: $1.27 million for 203.4 acres of northern spotted owl habitat that will become part of the Stevenson Ridge NRCA.

The amounts that the three counties will receive are based on an appraised value of standing timber on the parcels being transferred into conservation status. The land value of the several parcels to be transferred — a total of $663,000 — will be used to purchase working forestland that DNR will manage to support services in the three counties.