Today Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove announced an updated vision for conservation and the management of forests on state lands, outlining a plan to shore up budgets for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forestry programs. The Commissioner discussed his August 2025 Commissioner’s Order to manage 77,000 acres of structurally complex forests using methods other than traditional logging techniques. He announced that he’s learned that it will not be possible to get to 77,000 acres and that the Commissioner’s Order has been updated to reflect his new management direction. That new direction includes roughly 55,000 acres of structurally complex forests that will be exempt from Agency harvest plans through at least 2030. During this time DNR will work to secure the authority and develop innovative tools needed to continue managing those acres without variable retention harvests. 

• Related by Isabella Breda in the Seattle Times: WA public lands commissioner scales back order protecting older forests