Washington: little to no regulation protects Puget Sound forests / water quality

“It’s the land owner’s choice to do what they want with the land as
long as there are no environmental restrictions,” McDonald said. “It’s
a tough line to walk with public outcry and what a land owner can do.”
The South Puget Sound Region consists of Mason, Kitsap, King and
Pierce counties. McDonald said the department receives 700 to 1,100
logging permits on an annual basis and 90 to 95 percent are approved
after a few tweaks and adjustments.

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Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has approved a Forest Practices
Application permit for the logging of 105 acres of private property
off Seatter Road. Richard W. Stokes owns the property, which is broken
into a 30-acre plot on one side of Seatter and a 75 acre-plot on the
other side. Locals know the area as Roller Coaster Road.

The acreage does have five acres of wetland, which will be protected by a 100-foot buffer, as required by the DNR. Four different streams are on the acreage and will also be protected by DNR requirements. Bruce McDonald, Forest Practices manager for the South Puget Sound Region, said the acreage can be cut so only 50 trees per acre are left. “Basically it’s going to look like a clear-cut, that’s what I imagine it to be,” he said.

“They’re going to leave some trees scattered.” The
permit states Stokes will replant the land with douglas fir. McDonald
said the Pacific Northwest is the “best douglas fir region in the
world,” and mature trees can grow within 35 to 40 years. McDonald said
the permit is good for two years and if no logging takes place renewal
is an option.

Small forest land owners, similar to Stokes, own 3.2
million acres of Washington’s forests, accounting for about half the
private forest land in the state. The majority of small forest land
owners live in Kitsap and Mason counties, McDonald said.

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