Message from Tami Miketa, Manager of the Small Forest Landowner Office

Spring is finally here with the passing of the vernal equinox, which means getting outside more and enjoying  work in the woods! In this message, I want to celebrate the working forests of Washington while acknowledging some milestone anniversaries of important legislation that help protect forest habitat and encourage sustainable forestry.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Washington’s Forest Practices Act. Since 1974, the state has regulated forestry activities related to growing, harvesting, or processing timber. This includes hydraulic projects, roads and culverts, thinning, salvage, reforestation, brush control, and application of fertilizers or pesticides on non-federal public and private lands. The opening paragraph of RCW 76.09.010 describes why the Act is needed:

“The legislature hereby finds and declares that the forestland resources are among the most valuable of all resources in the state; that a viable forest products industry is of prime importance to the state’s economy; that it is in the public interest for public and private commercial forestlands to be managed consistent with sound policies of natural resource protection; that coincident with maintenance of a viable forest products industry, it is important to afford protection to forest soils, fisheries, wildlife, water quantity and quality, air quality, recreation, and scenic beauty.“

Forest practices rules have been amended and strengthened numerous times over the years. Another milestone worth celebrating this year is the 25th anniversary of the Washington Legislature adopting updated forest practices rules related to the Forests and Fish Law in 1999 (ESHB 2091).

The Forests and Fish Law was designed for Washington’s forest practices to comply with both the federal Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, and as a result of federal listings of endangered salmon and impaired water quality on non-federal forested streams in Washington. Changes were made to improve forest roads and culverts, enlarge buffer zones along stream banks, and improve protections for unstable slopes on approximately 10 million acres of forest lands regulated under the Forest Practices Act.

Recognizing the disproportional impact regulations may have on Washington’s private forest landowners with smaller acreages, and to encourage keeping their land in forestry, the Forests and Fish Law legislation also created the Small Forest Landowner Office:

“Within the Department of Natural Resources a Small Forestland Owner Office that shall be a resource and focal point for small forestland owner concerns and policies.”

76.13 RCW Stewardship of Nonindustrial Forests and Woodlands

Although we’ve experienced ups and downs in state funding over the years, as I’ve remarked in several recent Small Forest Landowner News editions, recent public funding has expanded DNR’s Small Forest Landowner Office and other related programs. This includes free technical assistance, financial incentives and educational support for small forest landowner, land management, restoring fish or wildlife habitat, reducing fuels for wildfires, improving forest health, generating income, and more.

The Small Forest Landowner Office (SFLO) has a few milestones to celebrate as well. This month, the Forestry Riparian Easement Program purchased its 500th conservation easement! In total, this program has protected over 7,300 acres of riparian habitat. Since the program began in 2003, the Family Forest Fish Passage Program has removed 460 fish passage barriers that collectively restored 1,332 miles of habitat. Since 1999, the Rivers and Habitat Open Space Program has protected 1,333 acres of important habitat and channel migration zones in perpetuity, through the implementation of 26 conservation easements. I can’t say enough about how proud I am to be the manager of the Small Forest Landowner Office!

I also want to share an update from the legislative session this year with the passing of a new bill that affects how the Forestry Riparian Easement Program (FREP) is implemented. Effective June 5, 2024, the following changes will take effect:

• The percentage of compensation for timber within the easement is changed to 90 percent for all applications – up from a minimum of 50 percent and a maximum of 90 percent.
• The duration of the easement contract is changed from 50 years to 40 years.
• The date used for valuing the easement is changed from the date the FREP application is received, to the date that the harvest was completed.
• The maximum compensation for potentially unstable slopes is increased from $50,000 to $150,000 per biennium.

DNR staff are currently working on changing rules and statutes and are reaching out to current landowners on the FREP application list to inform them about these changes.

In this edition of the Small Forest Landowner News, you’ll get to know a bit about our latest addition to the SFLO team — John Schmeltz recently started with us as the new Olympic Area Small Forest Landowner Regulation Assistance Forester. Our small forest landowner regulation assistance program offers knowledgeable foresters like John to assist understanding and navigating all those forest practices rules!

Here is a picture of DNR small forest landowner service program staff, including John, attending a training on recent updates to the Forest Practices rules concerning federally threatened marbled murrelets and how to implement the new rules in the field.

Other related topics in this newsletter introduce DNR’s Forest Practices Compliance Monitoring Program and an update on the status of online forest practices permits, or fpOnline. In addition to forest practices related content, we share upcoming spring and summer educational events and an article from Ken Bevis, DNR Stewardship Fish and Wildlife Biologist, about Himalayan blackberries. Dave New has a promotional piece about the Washington Tree Farm Program and Jeff Gersh from the Washington Small Forest Landowner Carbon Workgroup provides us with another small forest landowner profile on architect Susan Jones. DNR service forestry staff feature an article on “assisted migration” tree plantings, and a feature on wildfire fuels reduction projects in the Yakima area. From DNR’s wildfire’s community resilience program, we also have a timely addition this spring about this upcoming wildfire season and available assistance resources.

In closing, I ran across this quote that I think is so fitting for small forest landowners and the endless effort you put in to successfully managing your forestland:

“In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

Margaret Atwood

So true…

Upcoming Events, Classes and Workshops

Small forest landowners attend a Winter School class on forest road maintenance. This spring, look forward to more educational events held outside, like tree farm tours and forest field days. (Holly Haley, DNR)

Webinars

OSU Starker Lecture: Digging into Forest Soils

April 10, 2024

5:30 p.m. (online)

Women Owning Woodlands-Washington Spring 2024 Webinar Series- What’s bugging you? A review of native and invasive forest pests in WA

April 24, 2024

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (online)

Hidden stories of fire: tree rings reveal fire histories of Pacific Northwest rainforests

April 25, 2024

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (online)

Women Owning Woodlands-Spring 2024 Webinar Series-Abiotic factors impacting forest health

May 29, 2024

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (online)

Learning Exchange Series: Managing forests for carbon offsets—opportunities, risks, and the way forward

June 5, 2024

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (online)

Ecological Forestry in the Context of Climate Change – Ecological Silviculture for Douglas-fir-Western-hemlock Forests

July 16, 2024

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (online)

Save the Date: Summer Online Forest Stewardship Coached Planning – Three-week intensive course

July 8-26, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings (online)

More info to follow.

Tours/Workshops/Classes

Forest Management Assistance Programs Workshop — Mount Vernon, WA

April 6, 2024

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Hybrid)

Mount Vernon, WA

Forest Cultivated Shiitake Workshop – Spring 2024

April 12, 2024

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Olympia, WA

Climate Challenges & Strategies for Small Forest Owners

April 18th, 2024

10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. (hybrid)

Mortan, WA

2024 Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA) Annual Meeting

April 28-30, 2024

Tacoma, WA

Wildlife Habitat Field Day

May 11, 2024

Chewelah, WA

To register, contact Andy Perleberg, WSU Extension Forester, andyp@wsu.edu, 509-667-6540.  

Wildflower Walk:  Women Owning Woodlands – Washington

May 18, 2024

Cowlitz Ridge Tree Farm – Toledo, WA

Please contact Dr. Molly Darr (WSU Forest Health Extension Specialist) at molly.darr@wsu.edu for registration details.

Washington Hardwoods Commission 2024 Annual Symposium

June 6, 2024

Chehalis, WA

Wildlife Habitat Workshop

June 8, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Joyce, WA

Please contact Dr. Molly Darr (WSU Forest Health Extension Specialist) at molly.darr@wsu.edu for registration details.

Save the Date: WFFA South Sound Chapter Picnic and Tour of Miller Tree Farm

June 8, 2024

10:00 a.m.

More info to follow.

Save the Date: WFFA Lewis Chapter Twilight Tour of Greg Booth’s Tree Farm

June 18, 2024

6:30pm

More info to follow.

Save the Date: WSU DNR Forest and Range Owners Field Day-Deer Park, WA

June 22, 2022

Deer Park, WA  

More info to follow.

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning – Preston, WA

Sep 3 – Oct 29, 2024

Tuesday Evenings, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Himalayan Blackberries: Maybe they are good for something?

By Ken Bevis, Stewardship Wildlife Biologist, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, ken.bevis@dnr.wa.gov

Iconoclast: pronoun. One who challenges conventional thinking in a manner causing logical confusion and sometimes a reconsidering of established views. A person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions. (Wikipedia) I want to be one here.

Rubus armenaicus is native to the region of Armenia and northern Iran (located between the Black and Caspian Seas, near Turkey and Russia). It was introduced to Germany in 1835 as a crop plant. Brought to the United States in 1885 by Luther Burbank himself, one of the greats in horticultural history. Somewhere during this phase of crop promotion, the (incorrect) moniker of “Himalayan Blackberry” (HBB) was applied. It was first planted in the U.S. near Santa Rosa California and then to other locations in the Northwest. Apparently never hybridized, it was promoted as vigorous, with heavy berry yields. (True!) The plant escaped propagation and quickly spread. It is now naturalized and considered a noxious weed (as we well know) in many areas, including western Washington.

 Nearly impenetrable HBB thicket. (Ken Bevis, DNR)

Himalayan Blackberries: One of the most aggressive and challenging introduced plant species that have established themselves widely on small forest ownerships. HBB outcompete desirable native plants, taking up growing space intended for trees, overrun trails and open forest stands, and generally are a nuisance. Dense thickets are impenetrable due to the strong canes and vicious spines. Ouch! And they are challenging to control. HBB, however, are the only noxious weed I can think of that provides tangible human benefit in the form of jam, cobblers and pies (and I hear wine too). The plant even has a fan base. (The “Himalayan” Blackberry, a California Summer Tradition – Bay Nature)

Food. Water. Cover. The wildlife mantra. When these three things exist in a home range for any species, they have a chance to succeed, i.e. survive and reproduce. How many times have we seen a song sparrow, or a junco, or robin sitting atop an HBB thicket? Or a rabbit scooting underneath? How many bears or birds eat the berries? How many of us have enjoyed the sweet fruits? HBBs can provide cover, and food in abundance.

Let’s face it. They are here to stay. Our “natural” environment, especially in the developed “front country” is a crazy mishmash of both native and introduced species. This topsy-turvy world is an ever-moving kaleidoscope of success and failure, right in front of our eyes. Let’s pop some bubbles: there is no “balance of nature.” The natural world is a seething cauldron of organisms pushing, shoving, cooperating, and surviving (or not), all around us, and they don’t care where they came from (ask a starling if he/she remembers England). Some places have a semblance of stability, especially in relatively undisturbed environments (arguably “balance”), but most of the world now, is “disturbed” and dominated by humans and human influences, such as introduced organisms. Hence, the importance of active management to help us achieve objectives.

So, back to HBB.

Ripe, sweet HBBs. (Ken Bevis, DNR)

They were introduced as a high productivity agricultural plant that grew fast and produced lots of tasty berries. Good objectives, but then, oops. They escaped and now are widespread, and a real pest.

Our Service Foresters, and virtually all land managers in lower elevations of Washington, continuously battle numerous invasive and noxious plants. We have a detailed set of programs with Noxious weed lists and categories, with even legal requirements to control certain species (Class 1). Others have become so ubiquitous (Class 3) that they are basically considered part of the landscape now; HBB is one of these.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating for letting HBB take over the landscape. However, this is one of our “bad” plants that may have some redeeming value as habitat. Many birds and mammals eat the abundant berries (and yes, spread the seed far and wide). The thickets offer amazing cover for many creatures, including birds and mammals.

I heard a story from a landowner in Clark County about a huge HBB thicket on her property. There was a tunnel going into the jungle, big enough for her to crawl into it. She did. Some distance under the viney roof, was a chamber, almost big enough for her to sit up in. What? A bear den? On the far side of the cave, she spotted something in the faint light; it was a porcupine! And how many HBB thickets have low trails going into the vines? Places for rabbits, raccoons, skunks or other medium or small mammals to take refuge? Or locations for birds to nest in the vines or on the ground underneath?

I advocate for habitat piles to create cover thickets for wildlife, and have observed that in western Washington, these will often become HBB thickets with a pile in the middle, providing cover in abundance. And once this happens, it is nearly impossible to control these HBB without destroying the habitat feature.

 The author participates in assessment of the situation regarding HBB. (Ken Bevis, DNR)

That said, HBB must be controlled in most circumstances, otherwise many sites will only have this remarkably aggressive plant, thus reducing plant diversity, overall habitat quality and diminishing ecological integrity. There is plenty of information out there about management, including this succinct resource from King County: King County Best Management Practices for Himalayan and Evergreen Blackberry (Rubus bifrons and Rubus laciniatus).

Basically, HBB is bad. It takes over. However, all things in small doses, right? If we recognize that a thicket, or hedgerow, of HBB has some value, and we make sure it doesn’t spread, it can function as a valuable habitat feature, and a place for tasty berries to be harvested. Decide where it is ok to have it. Mow the perimeter regularly. Maybe dig up root crowns. Keep it right there with active management. Where you don’t want it, work to eradicate. Use the tools you need to win!

Good news: HBB has some habitat value. The bad news: it grows too darn much. And to those weed warriors out there, keep up the good work!

This year’s wildfire season is closer than it appears

By Rose Beaton, Community Resilience Coordinator, Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), rose.beaton@dnr.wa.gov

Last year, the Oregon and Gray Road fires near Spokane, Washington destroyed hundreds of residences and structures, uprooting families and communities and leaving them to not only question whether to rebuild or move away, but also to engage in conversations regarding insurance and property abatement.

(Credit: Kittitas County Emergency Management)

Closer to my home, Kittitas County has been no stranger to wildfires. Smaller wildfires often shut down Interstate 90 because of roadside ignitions. Larger wildfires, like Jolly Mountain, Snag Canyon, South Cle Elum Ridge and Vantage Highway, among others, damaged property and infrastructure. So far, Kittitas County has been luckier than other many others impacted by wildfires in the West.

All first responders in Kittitas County know about the risk of wildfire and the countless close calls we have had. A firefighter recently sustained injuries during initial attack operations on a small fire, a constant reminder that it is not just large wildfire incidents that are dangerous; they all have the potential to injure firefighters and citizens alike. Wildfire knows no boundaries or training. It is opportunistic, causing damage to people who have spent their lives fighting fire and to people who are evacuating a wildfire for the first time. 

This “El Niño” winter has been warmer, and although we’ve had some mountain snow, snowpack conditions remain below-average in the Pacific Northwest.

This makes it more likely that grasses will dry out earlier and more rapidly than normal, becoming very receptive to wildfire. Fire season is around the corner. Every year, it seems to start earlier and last longer into the fall. It’s important to always be prepared for spring wildfires, because we know it’s not if they will happen, but when. 

Wildland firefighters from local fire districts, state, and federal agencies are actively refreshing their wildland fire training and passing their physical fitness tests to obtain “red cards” for firefighters and “blue cards” for law enforcement personnel. Local fire district personnel are already carrying their wildland firefighting gear, because the weather conditions are drier than normal for March. 

In the Kittitas Valley, there have already been multiple responses by the fire district to unattended fires spread by wind from folks burning ditches and fields. The signs are clear – as we transition from spring to warmer months, we are drying out faster and there is more available fuel, indicating that this season has the potential for bigger, more severe fires. 

Not only did we have a drier than normal winter this year, but there have been long-term changes in our climate and fuel sources. Forests and shrub-steppe ecosystems have experienced 100 years of fire suppression policy that has kept wildfires off of the landscape, altering them so that they have more dense vegetation. This increases their receptiveness to higher severity wildfires. In addition, people have expanded into natural areas where we have not historically lived, increasing the risk wildfires within the wildland-urban interface. All of these factors are dominos when it comes to a wildfire: when the “right” conditions line up, our region becomes a news headline, like Spokane did last year.

The best defense against catastrophic wildfires starts with hardening our own living spaces to reduce our personal wildfire risk. Homes are most typically lost and damaged during wildfire events due to ember cast. Little embers, like the ones that cast off a bonfire during camping trips, pose the biggest threat to homes. Creating defensible space around your home is key to increasing the probability that during a wildfire event, our homes will survive. 

Just like putting up and taking down holiday decorations, defensible space and home hardening are repetitive tasks that should be part of being a home and property owner. This includes the annual removal of pine needles, leaf litter, and other vegetation that accumulates. 

Credit: Insurance Institute of Business and Home Safety (IHBS)

Creating a Defensible Space—Your First Line of Defense: Defensible space is the buffer you create between your residence and the surrounding vegetation. This space is essential to protect your home from catching fire, whether it be from direct flame contact, radiant heat, or flying embers.

Immediate 5 Feet Zone:  This area is arguably the most critical defensible space against wildfire embers. This area should be an ember-resistant zone. Use noncombustible materials (construction and landscaping materials) like gravel or concrete and remove all dead and dying vegetation. Ensure that roofs, gutters, decks, and porches are clear of debris. 

5-30 Feet: Within 30 feet of your home, maintain a lean, clean, and green area. This year may not-be-so-green, and if that is the case, keeping vegetation less than six inches tall will still be effective in limiting the potential flame height. Remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds. Keep trees and shrubs pruned and spaced out to prevent fire from climbing (aka “ladder fuels”) into the canopy.

100 Feet of Reduced Fuel: Beyond 30 feet, up to 100 feet from your home, reduce the amount of flammable vegetation. Create “fuel breaks,” such as driveways or gravel walkways, and ensure trees are spaced at least 10 feet apart.

There are resources to help! Washington State Department of Natural Resources offers free one-on-one home visits to help folks discuss their own wildfire risk in the Wildfire Ready Neighbors program. This is a voluntary program that anyone can sign up for at wildfireready.com to have a wildfire professional contact them. After a visit by a wildfire professional, a report is provided detailing the actions (no cost, low cost, and higher cost) that can be done on the property to reduce your wildfire risk. 

Lastly, it is important to emphasize the dynamic nature of evacuations and the notices that are issued. Sometimes you may have no official notice and must evacuate without any prompting from first responders. If you are traveling anywhere in Washington this summer, wildfire is a risk. Knowing how you will be notified and how to evacuate if necessary are essential to your survival.

There seems to be an expectation that evacuations will start with an initial notification, with time to prepare, and then a more urgent request will follow asking residents and visitors to evacuate. We are seeing, time and time again that this isn’t the case. The likelihood that you will be asked to evacuate immediately during a wildfire event is more probable, so preparing this spring with an emergency go-kit is critical for timely evacuations. 

Note: This article first appeared in the Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) blog.

Get to Know More New Faces at the Small Forest Landowner Office

The Small Forest Landowner Regulation Assistance Program recently welcomed a new Regulation Assistance Forester to the team. Allow us to introduce John Schmeltz, who is based in and serving small forest landowners in the Olympic peninsula area.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I enjoy being outside in nature. This includes just getting out and doing things like camping, hiking, riding bikes, just relaxing, or fishing and hunting. For me, knowing where my food comes from is important, and so I have a small little hobby farm. We raise all our own meat including beef, pork, and chicken. Also, we grow a large garden and we can a lot of produce so that it can be enjoyed year around.

Describe your job.

In my job I get to help people understand forestry as well as our state’s forest practices rules. As far as forestry goes, we look at what the current forest condition and management situation is and discuss options to employ to get to desired conditions. For example, if small forest landowners choose to conduct a timber harvest, I can help guide them through the forest practices application permitting process.

Why do you think our work is important?

I feel that my work is important because I get to help people who may not understand everything involved in conducting forest practices. The forest is a very dynamic environment and knowing how to meet your future desired conditions can be challenging and so it is important to be able to provide informed management guidance on possible things landowners can do.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

I would like to help people understand nature and hopefully get a passion for it.  I would like them to realize that nature has a big impact on people and that it needs to be managed in different ways so that it can be multifunctional.

What is your favorite kind of tree and why?

My favorite tree would be the redwood. This is because they are such a large and majestic tree.  Also, the fact that they can create little micro-environments of plants in their canopy is really interesting.

Do you care for your woods?

By Dave New, Past Chair of the Washington Tree Farm Program, info@watreefarm.org

(Credit: Bob Obedzinski, Nancy Romanovsky, Tammie Perreault, and Corie Lopardi, Washington Tree Farm Program)

You own a piece of forest land in the Evergreen State, and you have a forest management plan. Are you ready to take the next step? Become one of the 1,400 land stewards in our state with an American Tree Farm System certification in the Washington Tree Farm Program for your family’s forest.

Tree farming began right here in Washington State in 1941, when the Weyerhaeuser Company dedicated the Clemens Tree Farm near Rochester to sustainable and renewable forestry. It evolved into the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), a nationwide certification program for small forest landowners who privately own between 10 and 10,000 acres of forestland. The ATFS certification is recognized by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, an international body.

The Washington Tree Farm Program (WTFP) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and assisting small forest landowners in our state, to be better stewards of the land. The voluntary certification program ensures healthy privately-owned forestlands contribute to our state’s clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities, while producing the jobs, wood, and timber products we all need. 

WTFP has over 100 professional foresters who are trained to work with landowners to inspect and certify that their forests meet the standards of the ATFS system. Some of our inspectors are private foresters, some work for the Washington State DNR, others work for the US Forest Service, local conservation districts, or teach forestry.  All are a part of WTFP to help landowners do right by their land.

If you are committed to tending your woods for good forest health, you are one of us.  If you want to provide good habitat for wildlife, you are one of us.  If you want to protect the lakes and streams on your property and provide good aquatic habitat, you are one of us.  If you want to provide recreational opportunities, you are one of us. If you want to create or continue a legacy that can be passed down to future generations, you are one of us.

Visit our website. Contact us. We will arrange to have one of our forester inspectors walk through your woods with you. They will be able to answer your forest management questions, help you better prepare for the future, and assist you in obtaining ATFS certification. Perhaps you have questions about invasive species, or root rot in a Douglas fir stand, or who you should contact for assistance with thinning or harvesting. WTFP does not charge for these visits, nor for certification, nor are there any dues to be paid. And then in five years, when it is time for a reinspection, one of them will walk through your woods with you again.

We recognize that we all have different visions for our own forest lands, and that our management methods and objectives are not the same. We all, however, want to be the best stewards that we can for our land. Join us, become a part of the ATFS network, put a green “Certified Family Forest” sign in front of your land, and stand behind it with pride.

Dave New is the Past Chair of the Washington Tree Farm Program, and a proud steward of Nourse Tree Farm in Snohomish County.

Photos by Bob Obedzinski, Nancy Romanovsky, Tammie Perreault, and Corie Lopardi, all courtesy of Washington Tree Farm Program.

fpOnline: A new software system to meet your forest practices form needs

By Donelle Mahan, Online Project Manager, Forest Practices Program, Washington Department of Natural Resources, donelle.mahan@dnr.wa.gov

(Credit: Dave Wischer, DNR)

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Forest Practices program administers and enforces the Forest Practices Rules that protect public safety, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat on the 12 million acres of Washington’s state-owned and private forestlands. The rules include legal standards for logging, road construction, pesticide application, and other forestry-related activities – while maintaining a viable forest products industry. DNR administers and enforces the rules through a permitting process, called a Forest Practices Application/Notification.

DNR’S Forest Practices program is excited to announce the building of a new tool for processing Forest Practices Applications (FPAs)and associated forms required for regulated forest practices. The current system, Forest Practices Application Review System (FPARS), requires landowners to manually submit paper FPAs and fee payments through checks.

The new fpOnline system will provide all landowners with a modern, efficient method to electronically fill out, create or attach a map, sign, and submit FPAs. fpOnline will also provide the option to pay for your FPA electronically. fpOnline will also automatically provide notification to reviewers from city, county, and state agencies and tribes so they can review and track FPAs and other documents. DNR expects to launch fpOnline in January 2025. DNR will continue to offer the paper Forest Practices Application process for applicants once fpOnline goes live.

For more information about fpOnline and how to stay aware of its progress, please visit DNR’s fpOnline website: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/fpOnline-info, and sign up for the newsletter and email alerts or consider joining one of fpOnline’s Forest Landowner Advisory Committees.

Partnerships Are Key to Funding Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience in our Communities

By Liz Smith, Assistant Region Manager, Southeast Region, Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Liz.Smith@dnr.wa.gov

I recently had the pleasure of presenting with Raul Martinez, Forest and Community Resilience External Affairs Manager with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to the Yakima Rotary Club. With over 100 Rotarians in attendance, we had an engaged crowd with several questions and comments regarding the work the DNR Service Forestry team is completing in Yakima County. Our presentation covered what home and landowners can do to prepare their homes and property for wildfire. Raul focused on the Home Ignition Zone along with DNR’s Wildfire Ready Neighbors program.

I focused my presentation on how our Wildfire Resilience and Forest Health program works with private landowners, and the process to sign up for financial assistance. I was able to incorporate a key partnership with the West Valley Fire Department on a project that was completed near Tampico, WA, and a project on private land in the Ahtanum. Partnerships are critical with the work we do, and we have the luxury of have many great partners in Yakima county!

DNR’s wildfire resilience and forest health programs are funded by state and federal dollars. Federal grants are critical to the success of our Service Forestry program and provide much needed funding to implement our financial assistance and strategic fuels reduction contracts. We also now receive quite a bit of state funding for our Forest Resilience program work on private lands, through House Bill 1168  which created a first-of-its-kind Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience Account.

We are working on Western States Fire Managers (WSFM) grants, funded by the USDA Forest Service’s State, Private, and Tribal Forestry Consolidated Payment Grant program. This one, along with our National Fire Plan (NFP) Non-Federal WUI grants, are grants we’ve annually applied for since at least 2008. We write our grants for areas and communities in need of extra funding due to high landowner demand, and when the areas rank as a high priority in DNR’s Treatment Prioritization Layers (if available).

Given the increased demand for our program services, we’ve begun seeking out additional grant funding sources that fit our program needs, and not overburden our staff with tricky or unexpected grant administration. New to our program beginning last year is the addition of Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDGs). We were successful in receiving two CWDGs last year: I-90 Horsepark, and White Salmon. We just submitted three more proposals for this year. CWDGs are open to any organization or entity in the country, so they are extremely competitive.

The 14-acre Tampico project was highlighted on the West Valley Fire and Rescue Facebook page in August. Below is the post along with a couple of before and after pictures of the work that was completed.

“Tampico area landowners, are you aware the DNR has funding to reduce fuels on your property? Today we visited a property up the South Fork that recently completed fuel reduction work on 14 acres, final project completion will be this fall when all the brush piles are burned. What a difference removing brush and ladder fuels made on this property to reduce fire risk to their home and buildings. If you would like more information on how you can receive funding to improve your properties defensible space contact the WADNR.”

 Tampico fuels reduction project, before and after treatment (Ben Hartmann, DNR)

The “Ahtanum” fuel break (pictures below) is currently in progress, with 32 acres of 67 completed. The project is located in a very important recreation area and attracts hikers, horseback riders, and hunters from all across the PNW. Many come to access the NE corner of the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

The Ahtanum fuel break project, before and after treatment. (Ben Hartmann, DNR)

I am pleased with the feedback and questions we received and am hoping the presentation turns into our next project in Yakima County!

For landowner assistance questions or information needs please visit our Landowner Assistance Portal.

21st Century Construction Means Housing People – and Carbon

By Jeff Gersh, Communications, Washington State Forest Carbon Work Group, jeff@narrativelab.com

“We’re disrupting the building industry and moving to a bio-based economy.”

–Susan Jones, Architect, atelierjones

Before she became a global pioneer in the design of wooden buildings, Seattle architect Susan Jones was a forest nymph. As a seventh grader, she walked a mile-long path of trees to school each day.

“It sounds like a cliché, but seeing the light filter through that canopy of green and how it changed with weather and time was pretty extraordinary for me,” she said.

Her curiosity about construction arrived early. At age five, Susan watched from a homemade cedar swing as her parents built a wood house in Bellingham, Washington. “I was wonder-eyed about the whole thing,” she recalled.

During a field trip with her grandfather to a newly purchased 160 acres on Orcas Island, she strolled with him among freshly planted white pine and fir no bigger than she was. “When you’re my age,” he told her back then, “all these trees will be ready to harvest.”

After a generation of inattention, it has become a place of discoveries.

“Our family forest opened the doors for me to understand the challenges of forest management, as well as the beauty and the regenerative aspects of that process,” said Susan. “And, it has enlarged and deepened my whole experience of building with mass timber.”

Susan Jones visiting her grandfather’s tree farm. (Credit: Susan Jones)

Mass timber, or engineered wood, is a family of precision-fabricated, load-bearing building materials including beams, columns, walls, floors, and roofs. Susan is especially intrigued with cross-laminated timber (CLT), a game-changing technology for construction. Made from dimensional lumber—like 2x4s—sandwiched together at right angles, these components can be delivered in mammoth sizes much like tilt-up concrete walls; 12 x 60 feet is not uncommon. Some people refer to them as “plywood on steroids.”

However, this is not your grandmother’s plywood.

“Wood, being a natural material, comes with variations; that’s what gives it character, but variations can introduce weak spots,” Susan said. “By combining and optimizing many small pieces together, mass timber offers lighter weight and great strength, comparable to concrete and steel—but without having to cut large trees.”

While CLT was invented in Europe and has been part of its building culture for decades, the product is relatively new in the U.S. Susan built her family’s home with cross laminated timber in 2015, followed by a string of commissions showcasing its possibilities.

“I used to joke that my firm, atelierjones, had more CLT projects than any other architect in the country,” she said.

At that time, the architecture and engineering professions were focused on saving “operational carbon” by installing triple-glazed windows, for example, or solar panels. “The question became how to lower embodied carbon by substituting for concrete and steel, the twin wonders of modernist architecture and of 20th century construction,” Susan said. (The “twins” are the source of over 20 percent of global CO2 emissions.)

For architects and builders, one of the biggest hurdles to progress was bureaucracy. Building codes in the U.S. prevented using mass timber in structures higher than six stories. Susan accepted an invitation from the American Institute of Architecture to join an ambitious, multi-year, pro-bono effort to rewrite the national building code. Many studies ensued, but one focus was on the obvious question of fire safety. It turns out, another attribute of mass timber is its stubborn resistance to burning. “We cracked the code and rewrote it,” Susan said. “Now, you can build up to 18 stories.”

From left to right – An interior view of an affordable housing building, called Heartwood, built with CLT. Exterior view of Heartwood building. (Credit: Susan Jones)

With this seismic advance, and the increasing availability of domestically manufactured mass timber, new wooden buildings are poised to provide an additional service in the form of climate mitigation. Compared to concrete, a wood superstructure uses about 40 percent less carbon, not including the carbon it stores. Additionally, the lifespan of these new structures is anticipated to rival the beloved old timber buildings drawing crowds from around the world to places like Seattle’s waterfront; that, in turn, boosts their economic valuation.

Atelierjones’ latest project, Heartwood, is an 8-story gem just minutes from the water, and one of the first affordable housing projects in the country built with CLT. Its 126 living spaces also house over one thousand metric tons of durable carbon. “It’s an important validation of the work we’re doing. I can’t wait to go replicate more.”

Susan Jones, Architect at Heartwood. (Credit: Susan Jones)

This profile is part of a series produced by the nonprofit Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA), which supports the stewardship of small family forest owners. The 218,000 small forest landowners in Washington account for about 15 percent of the state’s forests—nearly 3 million acres. Each year, these woodlands absorb an amount of CO2 equal to the tailpipe emissions from 875,000 passenger cars while also producing roughly 15 percent of the harvested wood products in the state.

In partnership with the Washington Tree Farm Program and the American Forest Foundation, WFFA is developing policy recommendations for the Washington legislature to encourage the voluntary participation of small family forest owners in markets that pay for storing carbon; and, in management techniques that improve carbon storage.

For more information, please contact Elaine Oneil, executive director of WFFA: eoneil@wafarmforestry.com.

Forest Practices Compliance Monitoring Program: What is it?

By Kelly Childers, Compliance Monitoring Field Coordinator, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, kelly.childers@dnr.wa.gov

Author Kelly Childers is seen recording data on a forest practices compliance monitoring site visit. (Kelly Childers, DNR)

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Compliance Monitoring Program was first established in the 1999 Forest and Fish Law, which proposed increasing measures to protect water quality and riparian-dependent species on private and state forestlands in Washington, based on the best available science.

The Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP) was created to help answer the question: Are forest practices being conducted in compliance with the rules?

The goal of CMP is to collect and report data on statewide Forest Practices Rule compliance rates, and monitor compliance trends over time. Sample sites are randomly selected from completed applications and field reviewed in collaboration with representatives from partner agencies such as Department of Ecology, tribes, and region DNR staff. Information is collected in the field based on the type of resource and proposed activity submitted in the Forest Practices Application. Data are analyzed each biennium, and results are then reported to the Forest Practices Board and released to the public.

CMP collaborates with landowners to perform interdisciplinary field visits to collect data. (Kelly Childers, DNR)

Findings are used to help us understand areas where DNR can improve education, training, or guidance to help landowners manage their forestland while simultaneously protecting public resources for us all. This can lead to development of trainings, suggestions for rule or form changes, or specific outreach efforts.

My forest practices application was selected for review: now what?

CMP staff collect field data at randomly selected harvest sites across the state, around riparian areas, wetlands, and forest roads (Kelly Childers, DNR)

No need to fear! Compliance Monitoring is not an enforcement program. We select specific prescriptions to review for each FPA selected, so you know in advance where we need to go and what we’ll be looking at. Landowners are always welcome and encouraged to attend. Landowner information is not reported or recorded as part of the data collection process. Field reviews typically consist of two to eight people, with some prescriptions requiring participants stationed at different distances from a resource for measuring buffer widths and leave trees.

Activities may include taking distance measurements, counting and measuring leave trees, and looking for stumps of harvested trees within designated no-cut zones. Field reviews are a great opportunity to practice or improve your knowledge of the Forest Practices Rules and to learn more about how the Forest Practices Rules and Board manual guidance inform different management strategies on the ground.

Compliance Monitoring Data Trends Suggest Good Compliance Rates

The CMP publishes a statistical study of post-harvest evaluations every two years. (Kelly Childers, DNR)

The Compliance Monitoring Program serves as a tool for understanding the rate of compliance of forest practices activities in our Washington forests with the Forest Practices rules  portion of the Washington Administrative Code. We explore trends in compliance rates between small and large forest landowners in every region of the state, working closely with Tribal Nations, DNR, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Ecology staff. The Compliance Monitoring Program examines compliance rates as the total number of rules that were followed accurately divided by the total number of rules assessed for all site visits across the state. CMP staff typically review about 200 samples over the course of the biennium.

Overall, statewide compliance rates for most prescriptions sampled (during the 2020-21 biennium) were above 90 percent. The only exception being non-forested wetlands, which was still relatively high, at 88 percent compliance. This means, most of the time, Forest Practices rules are followed correctly for reviewed prescription types, and resource protections are generally applied adequately in Washington state.

Compliance Monitoring DNR Webpage Updates and StoryMap

Our webpage on the main DNR website Compliance Monitoring | WA – DNR has more information on our program, including an ArcGIS StoryMap. This is a great place to find out more about CMP prior to our upcoming field season. CMP reports are hosted on this page, including our most recent 2020-2021 Biennial Report.

Contact Information

CMP Manager: Mary Murdock – Mary.Murdock@dnr.wa.gov

CMP Field Coordinator: Kelly Childers – Kelly.Childers@dnr.wa.gov

CMP Email: DNRRECOMO@dnr.wa.gov