Jefferson considering forest land transfers

By Peter Segall
Peninsula Daily News
February 8, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Malloree Weinheimer

PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County officials should look into expanding the county’s land base to continue with its forest management program, according to the forestry company contracted to develop the county’s program. Speaking to Jefferson County commissioners on Monday, Malloree Weinheimer, principal and forester at Chickadee Forestry, LLC, said many of the county’s forest lands are small, non-contiguous parcels of 5 or 10 acres, which make forest management difficult. …The county contracted with Chickadee in 2018 to create a forest management strategy for county-owned lands. Weinheimer presented commissioners on Monday with a potential strategy for the next five to 10 years. The county currently owns 1,800 acres across 300 parcels, most of which are less than 10 acres, Weinheimer said, and managing those scattered parcels can be difficult and expensive. Forest lands need to be managed to promote forest health, mitigate fire risk and promote local uses including recreation and timber harvests.

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