Good news for Green Mountain: Upthegrove Re-pauses Firvana Timber Sale!
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The Firvana timber sale would clearcut the entire Gold Creek Legacy Forest.
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We’re excited to share some hopeful news: Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove has re-paused the Firvana timber sale, temporarily halting plans to log the 60-acre Gold Creek Legacy Forest in Kitsap County.
The Firvana timber sale was initially paused in January 2024 as part of a temporary moratorium on logging mature, structurally complex forests. This moratorium, which currently affects 23 sales, was issued by Dave Upthegrove, in response to growing public concern about the loss of Washington’s remaining natural forests and the urgent need to align forest management with climate and biodiversity goals.
However, in the months following the pause, staff within the DNR reevaluated the Gold Creek Legacy Forest and claimed that, because of the presence of naturally occurring fungal pathogens and defoliating insects the forest was “in decline” and would benefit from being logged. This rationale marked a sharp departure from the values behind the moratorium. Rather than viewing the presence of these fungal and insect diseases through an ecological lens, as important natural disturbance agents that increase biodiversity, DNR treated them as justification for clearcutting and “resetting” the forest – a move that only makes sense if you are trying to maximize timber value.
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LFDC submitted extensive SEPA comments on this project, as did the Kitsap Environmental Coalition, The Center for Responsible Forestry and numerous concern citizens. In our comments we detailed the importance of naturally occurring diseases as small scale disturbance agents, which rather than degrading forest structure, create snags and small canopy gaps that have substantial positive effects on biodiversity. We also documented the presence of seven different old forest dependent bird species within the Firvana sale highlighting the importance of these rare native forests for their survival.
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Having heard the concerns about this project, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove reversed DNR’s decision to proceed with this timber sale. While the Department of Natural Resources had initially moved forward with logging after citing forest health concerns, the commissioner’s action shows a commitment to reevaluating forest management through a more thoughtful, biodiversity centric lens. We commend Commissioner Upthegrove for this course correction, and for his willingness to incorporate public comment into his decision making.
This outcome is due in no small part to the leadership of the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, who submitted formal comments in opposition to the Firvana timber sale and have gone one step further: they’ve nominated the Gold Creek Legacy Forest for permanent protection under the 2025 Natural Climate Solutions budget proviso, recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. This tool offers a pathway to preserve ecologically significant forests like Firvana for future generations, while helping the state meet its climate goals.
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The Firvana Timber Sale and Gold Creek Beaver Ponds from the air.
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In the coming months we expect to hear much more from the DNR about the long-term management of structurally complex forests. It is imperative that DNR undertake landscape level planning to protect and restore mature forest conditions across DNR managed lands, and we are excited to work with them as they undertake this effort. In the meantime, we continue our legal battle to secure protections for some of the most destructive timber sales of 2024. At present the Misty, Tweety, Jackie Paper, and Next Contestant timber sales are under injunction orders, and we will be arguing for an injunction on the Tree Well and Parched timber sales at the Clallam County Courthouse on Friday May 23 at 9 AM.
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The Legacy Forest Defense Coalition is a registered 501(c)(3) public nonprofit charity based in Washington State.
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