Foresters push state on promises

Updated: Saturday, October 09, 2010 9:29 AM

State agency has many reimbursement applications, no funds

Capital Press

OLYMPIA -- Legislators need to make good on the promises they made to small-forest landowners when they set aside riparian areas to protect fish streams, a statewide forest group's leader said.

But a state official told forest owners that although her agency has requested the money there is still a backlog in buying the easements.

Last spring Washington legislators directed the Department of Natural Resources to recommend changes to the state's Forest Riparian Easement Program.

FREP was designed to compensate small-forest landowners for 50 to 80 percent of the marketable timber that they must leave unharvested under state rules that protect riparian forest areas.

One DNR recommendation that raised concerns centered on the proposed easement acquisition process, which reads: "If funds are available, determine the easement value as soon as possible for eligible applicant."

"If funds are available?" said Rick Dunning, executive director of the Washington Farm Forestry Association. "That's why we're here, and it shouldn't be an issue."

When small-forest landowners agreed to the Forest and Fish Report of 1999, they were promised they would be compensated for their financial losses.

However, since then FREP has had a backlog of applications and a shortage of money.

"The backlog now totals $10 million," Dunning said. "We need to find a way for small-forest landowners to capture the value of their land. Either get FREP the money or allow (landowners) to harvest their timber."

Mary McDonald, manager of the Small Forest Landowner Office, which administers FREP, said her office has requested funds both for assessing the value of unharvested timber and to buy easements.

Dunning also expressed his frustration with the entire salmon recovery program.

"Billions of dollars have been spent in this state on recovery," he said. "But I have no knowledge of money spent to put fish back in the streams."

When the DNR makes its recommendations to legislators on Oct. 1, it will include comments from stakeholders who spoke at three late-summer meetings.

During the third of those meetings, another area of contention was how long the land has been owned. DNR has proposed extending the current eligibility standard from "less than five years of ownership" to "ownership prior to March 20, 2000." That is when the riparian rules were adopted.

"Since then, you knew what you were getting," McDonald said.

However, Tammie Perreault, who owns forestland with her husband, Michael, said any time-of-ownership restriction "biases the program to people who've had the land a long time, but we want to be able to receive a return for our investment. This is unfair to new owners."

Dunning, of the Washington Farm Forestry Association, agreed.

"The Perreaults are the tree farmers this state wants, people who want to do the right thing," Dunning said. "The state program should be all inclusive."

Removing the restriction would be especially appropriate considering the aging of the entire farming population, said Steve Stinson, executive director of the Family Forest Foundation. "FREP should encourage new owners."

Online

www.dnr.wa.gov (click on "Forest Practices" and on "Forest Riparian Easement Program")