Click here to skip to main content.
scenic picture from Washington state
SUBJECTS › ENVIRONMENT › Forest Lands in Washington Counties
Updated 07/08

Forest Lands in Washington Counties

Contents

Introduction

This page on forest lands is intended to provide an overview and links to information about forest lands as they impact Washington local governments. It includes links to forest plans, forest practice regulations, revenue distributions to counties, and information on the topic of sustainable forests.  Forest lands are defined in RCW 76.14.010(2) as any lands considered best adapted for the growing of trees and in the Growth Management Act as land primarily devoted to growing trees for long-term commercial timber production on land that can be economically and practically managed for such production (RCW 36.70A.030 (8)).

Facts About Forest Lands in Washington

  • The area of Washington State is 66,582 square miles (42,612,480 acres).
  • Map of  State Timber Areas - Washington State Association of Counties
  • Summary from WSU Cooperative Extension Plan of Action II. Management of Natural Resource Systems
    • Approximately 51% or 21.8 million acres in Washington is classified as forest land. (Wadded, 1989)
    • The percentage breakdown of forest is: national forest 29%, state and other public lands 15%, forest industry 29%, and non-industrial private 27%. (Besieger et al. 1997)
    • Total employment in the state's forest products industries was 52,800 in 1995. (Warren, 1997)
    • The 1995 gross business income for the Washington forestry and forest products sector was over $100 million. (Quarterly Business Review, 1996)
    • Forest products account for over 10% of the employment in 18 of the state's 39 counties.
  • Major owners of Washington commercial forest lands from 1992 Washington Forest Resources Plan:
    • National forests - 5.1 million acres (30.4%)
    • Tribal-owned forest land - 1.4 million acres (8.1%)
    • Timber industry owned lands - 4.7 million acres (27.7%)
    • Non-industrial private forest landowners (also referred to small forest land owners and small tree farmers) - 3.2 million acres (19 %)
    • Department of Natural Resources - 2.1 million acres of forest trust lands (12.3%)
      • 1.5 million acres of state forest lands are federal grant trust lands
      • About 620,000 acres are forest trust lands
    • Miscellaneous - 4 million acres.

Federal Forest Lands in Washington

Washington's Forest Trust Lands

Upon statehood, the federal government gave Washington three million acres of trust lands. Provisions governing state trust lands appear in article 16 of the state constitution. The state has maintained the trust's 3 million acres, of which 1.5 million are forest lands.

Forest Board Trust Lands

Twenty-one counties acquired lands through tax foreclosures in the 1920s and 1930s. The properties were transferred to the state for management. These were private lands that were mostly logged, abandoned, and tax delinquent. A Forest Board was created in 1923 to manage these properties, and was consolidated into the Natural Resources Board in 1957. Counties that contain state forest lands acquired or transferred are represented on the board. The Forest Board transfer lands are reforested and managed for timber production. In addition to the original Forest Board Transfer Lands are Forest Board Purchase Lands that have been acquired by gift or purchase. In 1998, the Forest Board Transfer Trust Lands were listed as 531,000 acres and Forest Board Transfer Purchase Lands constituted just under 78,000 acres.

Forest Resources - Sustainable Forests

Forest Practices

Local Government Forest Management

Links to Related Organizations and Topics