Our Forests, Our Future

Happy?#InternationalDayofForests!

Our forests are the lungs of our planet, and for us in Washington state they are our identity. Throughout our world and our state, our forests provide clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, critical fish and wildlife habitat and cultural resources, valuable jobs and economic development, and essential wood products for our homes, hospitals, offices and schools. We in the Evergreen State recognize the importance of our forests, from our Ponderosa Pines to our Douglas Firs.

It is why those who are born here will never leave, and those who come here, come to stay.

When I started my environmental work 27 years ago, I had no idea the extent of the challenges our forests would face today from wildfires, disease, drought, and development. It has been especially fulfilling these last eight years to work beside international, national, state, and local leaders as the Commissioner of Public Lands and as a leader on the 1t.org?Steering Committee, to?#conserve,?#restore,?#reforest, and #grow?trees and forests here in Washington and the US to?keep our forests working for our planet and our people.?

Some of the great progress we at?Washington State Department of Natural Resources have made include:

???We have conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of working forests throughout western Washington, protecting these forests from development, keeping them working for our environment, our economy, and our communities. Through our work we are keeping working forests on the landscape, protecting fish and wildlife habitat, sequestering carbon, supporting rural communities, and producing sustainable, renewable carbon-conscious wood products. And with the recent federal funding and strong partnerships with our Tribal Nations, Washington Association of Land Trusts , our Community Land Trusts, WASHINGTON FOREST PROTECTION ASSOCIATION , The Nature Conservancy , Trust for Public Land , American Forests , American Forest Foundation , The Conservation Fund , Washington Family Forest Association, and so many more, we are well on our way to our goal of ensuring 1 million acres of working forests continue working for present and future generations.??

???We have restored over 600,000 acres of forests in just 6 years, putting us halfway to our goal of 1.25 million. Having witnessed first-hand the devastation of wildfires, disease, and insect infestation on millions of acres of forests in Washington state, the destruction to fish and wildlife habitat, the smoke and risk to our communities, we cannot downplay the importance of?#restoration.?Indeed, no part of Washington is immune from the unprecedented pressure from fire, pests, and disease as last year we saw more wildfires west of the Cascades than east of the Cascades. We have grown our state and federal forest health program to one of the largest in the countries, and with the $130 million for the Central Washington Initiative, we will go even farther and faster.?And we must, so what is now a carbon sink will not turn into a carbon source.?Much thanks goes to some amazing superstars in front of and behind the scenes leading this charge, helping us go faster and smarter, including Paul Hessburg, PhD , Jen Watkins , Trevor McConchie , Russ Vaagen , Derek Churchill, WA DNR Forest Resilience Team, Chris Martin and Vaagen Brothers Lumber to name just a few.

???We have also started to?make progress in our goal to reforest 1 million acres, with critical investments from our Climate Commitment Act to ensure that Washington State Department of Natural Resources ’ seed, nursery, and workforce capacity is up to the challenge.??

???Finally, on this day and every day, we cannot forget the importance of our urban forests especially as heat has become our country’s deadliest weather disaster. We are making historic investments, setting a goal to be the first state to achieve?#TreeEquity?in every neighborhood. Huge shout out to American Forests?for leading this work and your partnership with us here in Washington, along with cities big and small (#too many to name here) that have joined our Tree Equity Collaborative.?The movement for?Tree Equity?is growing everywhere and especially in the Evergreen State!?

None of this progress would be possible without the leadership at the federal, state, and local governments and our non-profit and private partners – along with an unprecedented state and federal investments, thanks to the Climate Commitment Act, IRA, and IIJA.??This is a truly historic and all-hands-on-deck moment for forests in Washington state and the U.S.!?

With much gratitude and thanks to my team at?Washington State Department of Natural Resources?and our national colleagues at?American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation ,?The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, American Forests, American Forest Foundation, One Tree Planted ?and??USDA Forest Service?for their support of us here in Washington and across the United States.?

On this day, let’s remember how important our forests are, the threats they face, and what we need to do to keep our forests working for our people and our planet.

Tim Christophersen Theresa Lieb Jad Daley Lindsey Prowse Dan Lambe Jennifer Merli Erin Goodhand Csenka Favorini-Csorba Taldi Harrison Sarah Beaubien Carolina Leonhardt Larry Selzer Tacoma Tree Foundation Rebecca Bear Seattle Parks Foundation Duane Emmons Rita Hite Michael S. Stevens The Lands Council