Joel McEntire

The Washington Forest Practices Board’s recent approval of the rule requiring buffers along streams is another devastating hit to Washington’s rural timber-reliant counties, and one they cannot afford. It is an insult to our communities, their schools, libraries and hospitals, and to anyone whose livelihood is connected to sustainable forest management. …The laws of our forests, fish and streams have been under the Forests and Fish Law since 1999. …For more than 25 years, the Forests and Fish Law has guided responsible forest management across Washington state. …The board’s new rule has brought many in the original coalition out of the woodwork. They, along with many others, including legislators from both sides of the aisle, have let the board know the rule is greatly flawed and needs to go back through the adaptive process. …Keep in mind that Commissioner Dave Upthegrove announced that the state was putting aside 77,000 acres for conservation.