Washington Forestland Ownership Overview
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Working forests are our greatest natural resource.
Working forests are a remarkable and important natural resource. They are a source of clean
water and healthy habitat for fish and wildlife. They create important jobs in rural communities.
These forests also store carbon in their trees, and in the wood products that come from trees—reducing
the amount of harmful emissions in our earth's atmosphere. Working forests also supply renewable
biomass used to create green energy.
Private forest landowners maintain this valuable natural resource through sustainable forest practices.
Working forests yield environmentally friendly products and alternative energy resources. These, in turn,
create green jobs that are important to our state's economy and environment.
These wonderful working forests are truly our greatest natural resource.
Private Forest Lands: Managed for Sustainability
Forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide us with energy and materials.
There are over 22 million acres of forestland in Washington State, more than half of the total land base.
About two-thirds of these forests are managed by the government, while about a third are privately owned.
Yet, in an average year, private forestlands supply more than 70% of the timber that is harvested to produce
wood products.
According to the Department of Natural Resources only about 2% of commercial forestland is being harvested at
any given time. This means that throughout the state, for every 100 acres, 98 are growing a new forest every
year. When trees are harvested, on average, three seedlings are planted for each tree harvested to start the
next generation of forests.
Policy: Sustainable Forestry Certification
The United States' forestry regulations boast the highest environmental standards in the world. However, many of the forests around the world lack North America's strong governance. While many landowners find value in third-party certification programs, the world's forests would especially benefit from participation in third-party certification programs. Currently, about 10% of the world's forests are certified, and 40% of these certified lands are in North America. While a variety of forest certification programs are recognized in the marketplace, they all seek to assure the consumer that the wood and paper products we use come from responsibly managed sustainable forests. Public policy should provide incentives for participation in third-party certification systems while leaving it to the landowner to choose which system works for their individual circumstance.