Dave New

WASHINGTON — When Dave New inherited a 160-acre property outside of Arlington in 2008, he didn’t think of it as anything more than a family garden surrounded by a forest. …Small-forest landowners and tree farmers like New manage 15% of the state’s forested acres. For New, the feasibility of harvesting is a worry as environmental initiatives increasingly emphasize preserving trees for carbon sequestration. He and others feel disadvantaged in accessing emerging markets amid a struggling timber industry. Meanwhile, carbon sequestration in Washington has remained a climate priority for government agencies and conservation groups as a means to reduce the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions, though the future is uncertain. This November, voters will decide the fate of the Climate Commitment Act, which dedicated money to some of these efforts, and elect a new Commissioner of Public Lands.