Pollock, Brummer say they are working to prevent new forestry rule from going into effect

As the development of a new state rule that could impact timber tax revenue moves forward, Lewis County commissioners have officially come out against the new rule over concerns with the rule-making process and potential impacts.

The proposed rule would expand buffer zones around small non-fish bearing streams around the state. Those buffer zones are places where trees and other vegetation cannot be cut or removed.

When asked about the rule during the Lewis County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 26, Commissioners Lindsey Pollock and Scott Brummer said they have followed the development closely. They said they are looking for ways to stop the rule from going into effect, but stopped shy of sharing the actions they are taking to do so.
In June, the Washington State Forest Practices Board moved forward with the rule more formally called “NP Buffer zones.” The rule has been subject to intense debate both during that meeting and at public hearings held in June and August. The issue has also caused significant debate among board members. Despite the next steps of the rule-making process being approved by the board in June, it moved forward by just one vote and was originally thought to have failed.

Multiple board members abstained from the vote, leading the opposition to believe a minimum approval number would not be reached. However, a simple one-vote majority proved to be enough, according to the board's rules, and the process moved forward.

The debate around the rule is rooted in the relationship between timber harvests and fish habitat. If it goes into effect, the new rule will expand already existing buffer requirements designed to protect and restore what is called riparian habitat — habitat adjacent to water — which can help protect fish from predators and also shades the water keeping it cool and safe for fish.

Supporters of the rule argue that it is necessary to expand the buffer zones in order to keep streams that funnel into larger fish-bearing streams cool to better protect vulnerable fish species. Those against, however, have called into question the studies done to support the rule and even more so decried the impact the rule would have on private forestland owners big and small.

More information on the-rule making process and the rule itself is available on the state's Department of Natural Resources website at https://tinyurl.com/mr7w45xx.

While the Lewis County commissioners did not go into depth about the process or the potential impacts of the rule, Pollock aired frustration that not all of the seats on the Forest Practices Board have been filled. Currently, the seat meant to represent county governments and a general public seat are both unfilled.

“We have been very involved in it, and, quite frankly, very concerned for the fact that the governor failed to seat the county representative on the Forest Practices Board,” Pollock said. “The vote was also very, very close. I believe it was a one-vote difference. So, it could have gone to a tie had that position been filled.”

She added that Brummer is one of the leading candidates for the open county representative seat.

Pollock continued with the subject, calling out the current administration and saying she believes that more restrictions on timber harvests will work against the goals of Washington state's current administration limiting the use of lumber, which she noted is a carbon-neutral building material.

Both commissioners stopped shy of speaking in depth about the impacts of the new rule proposal or the actions they were taking to put a stop to the rule, but they emphasized its importance and hinted to actions taking place behind the scenes.

“Not much that I can add to that other than it is a major impact, and not only are we following it close, but we're working behind the scenes to do everything that we can to get that proposal to not be adopted,” Brummer said. “In this case, lots of challenges that go along with that, but we are actively working on it.”

As for the potential impact the rule may have locally, county governments benefit heavily from the state's timber tax receiving four-fifths of the tax on timber sales within their local counties, meaning a reduction in timber harvests would result in a reduction in local tax revenue.

While the state has not provided county-specific numbers, a cost benefit analysis published earlier this year by the Department of Natural Resources estimates the rule will result in the loss of $320 million to $1 billion in timber value across Western Washington.