Pacific County Superior Court Judge Donald J. Richter last week rejected a lawsuit by anti-forestry groups claiming the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) violated state laws in approving a timber sale in mature forest stands, also politically labeled as “legacy forests,” on public working forests known as state trust lands. This case on the Freedom Timber Sale is the first to reach the merits stage in a long line of nearly identical legal challenges by anti-forestry groups to other sales developed through DNR’s timber program… The ruling affirms the agency’s forest practices in managing these lands. Under the state constitution and law, DNR state trust lands are required to be managed to provide revenues to defined beneficiaries, which include public schools, local public safety agencies, and various community services. These public working forests also provide clean water, wildlife habitat, climate change mitigation and recreational opportunities.