The Chehalis River Basin is second in size only to the Columbia within the state of Washington. It contains over 2,500 square miles of land dedicated to industrial, agricultural and natural resource uses. Considering its size, diverse array of land management, and high water demand in the area, it’s no surprise that the Chehalis Basin is considered a priority area for protection by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. With that priority in mind, the Washington State University Extension and the DNR Small Forest Landowner Office have partnered to develop outreach and educational programming in the region for small forest landowners.
The Chehalis River Basin contains some of the world’s most productive timberland, attracting a large population of small forest landowners with a variety of objectives. Healthy riparian ecosystems are a natural byproduct of active forest stewardship, so small forest landowners, stewardship and clean water are inextricably linked. This is the message of the new Extension Forester for WSU in Southwest Washington, Patrick Shults, who was hired to promote, educate, and train forest stewards within the basin.
A little about Patrick: He’s not from here but is extremely excited to be living in the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife moved from Michigan last winter, escaping the frigid cold and pounding snow of the Upper Great Lakes for the soft rain and cool ocean air of the coastal forests. An avid hiker, fisher, and craft beer enthusiast, Patrick has been feeling very much at home in Western Washington.
Patrick came to the extension forester position at WSU after finishing his master’s degree in forestry at Michigan State University, where he researched agroforestry and sustainable nutrient cycling. Prior to that he also received a bachelor of science degree in forestry at MSU, getting experience in public outreach and education, habitat restoration, urban forestry, and writing management plans for small forest landowners through working with nonprofits, universities, and consulting foresters.
Patrick knows that while many forest owners are primarily interested in growing timber, the SFL community is diverse and many have other goals in mind either in tandem with or excluding timber production. He hopes to use his range of experience to help meet this diverse set of needs and landowner interests for small forest management in Southwest Washington.
With this motivation in mind, Patrick will be promoting educational programming like Forest Stewardship Coached Planning, Family Forestry Field Days, and other workshops and classes. As previously mentioned, they will focus heavily on landowners in the Chehalis River Basin, but he also hopes to provide resources and programming to forest owners throughout Southwest Washington.
He aims to maintain an open door and invite the public to express their concerns and interests, while working hard to prioritize education on pressing issues like forest health, writing stewardship plans, and promoting research-backed forestry practices. His upcoming events include a Forest Stewardship Coached Planning in Chehalis and an Alder Management Workshop in Raymond. Learn more about Patrick and Extension Forestry events coming up in Southwest Washington online at forestry.wsu.edu/sw.
By WSU Forestry Extension
Small Forest Landowner News 