Washington: Enviros tricked into buying development rights for forestlands without development plans

This is classic! Take a close look at the map below… The timber
company figured out the top 15% of their forestslands with the highest
Real Estate development value and then they sold development rights
for the other 85% to gullible enviros. The loggers don’t even have to
protect that 85% of the forest from being over-logged either! Best of
all the agreement operates under the condition that enviros can no
longer interfere with the timber companies’ real
estate development plans. Are we really that foolish? I’m looking
forward to a new era in environmental activism where hard working
enviros are’t played for being such total suckers anymore! –Editor,
Forest Policy Research

The Columbia Land Trust, a regional non-profit focused on protecting
key lands, struck a deal with Pope Resources, a timber company, for
the Land Trust to purchase development rights for much of Pope’s St.
Helens Tree Farm.

The 24,000-acre tree farm is highly prized for its
scenic, recreational, wildlife and timber values. As high-end houses
began sprouting in the area, a debate erupted over possible
development of the Tree Farm. While conservation groups wanted
development limited, Pope subdivided the Tree Farm into 20-acre lots
to maintain its development potential. That raised the possibility
that the timberland could be replaced by homes that would leave much
less room for wildlife and other uses, a trend that is eroding forests
across the country. Under the deal, the Land Trust will purchase the
land or development rights covering 85 percent of the Tree Farm, while
Pope will retain ownership of 15 percent for other uses, including
possible development.

The undeveloped portion of the property would
remain as a working forest. “Basically we have reached an agreement
with the landowner to put the property on a different track than the
development track it was on,” said Glenn Lamb, executive director of
the Columbia Land Trust. He said he is confident the Land Trust can
come up with funding to purchase the development rights and, possibly,
some of the land itself. Some funds may be available from PacifiCorp
to offset the impacts of hydroelectric projects on the Lewis River and
other money may come from federal forest protection programs.

The Pope
forest land is the largest private ownership in Skamania County. “This
project aims to achieve a sustainable balance among natural resource
conservation, working forests, local jobs and tax revenue for the
county through collaboration rather than confrontation,” said Jon
Rose, president of Olympic Property Group, a real estate subsidiary of
Pope Resources.http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/deal_protects_prized_mount_st.html

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