New Lands Commissioner pauses some timber sales to study mature forests

On the campaign trail last year, Dave Upthegrove promised that if elected to Commissioner of Public Lands, he would preserve forests starting on day one.  Well, Upthegrove is now in charge of the state’s Department of Natural Resources – sworn in last month – and he held true to his promise. On Jan. 15 – day one – Upthegrove announced he would be pausing logging sales on what the state calls “mature” forestland. These are forests that were last logged before World War II – not old enough to be designated “old growth, ”but host a diverse range of plants and animals.  While considered a win by conservationists, his plan was met with concern from those dependent on revenue from public trust timber sales to fund schools and county services in the state – something mandated by the state’s constitution.  Commissioner Upthegrove recently spoke with Soundside host Libby Denkmann about his plans to balance preservation with that mandate. Guests: Dave Upthegrove, Commissioner of Public Lands Related Links: Commissioner Upthegrove Calls “Timeout” on Harvesting Older State Forests | WA - DNR New WA lands commissioner orders pause on logging sales for some older forests • Washington State Standard Lands commissioner’s logging ‘pause’ upsets a careful calculation | The Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.