On June 6, 2025, the Washington Forest Practices Board (FPB) took a consequential vote that will reshape how water is classified and protected under the state’s Forest Practices Rules. The Board adopted a new Water Typing System rule and an associated Board Manual section (BM 23), marking the culmination of years of debate, modeling, and negotiation over how best to ... Read More| Washington Forest Protection Association
Riparian Buffer Rules and Water Temperature Introduction: The application of science in environmental policy is crucial for ensuring the delicate balance between ecological preservation and economic activities. In the context of riparian buffer rules, the Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) temperature criteria for salmon streams have been under scrutiny, with scientific studies suggesting that current forest practices effectively maintain suitable water ... Read More The post Science Shows F...| Washington Forest Protection Association
Olympia, WA. – Washington state’s forestry sector leaders gathered Thursday (November 21st) for the 2024 Annual Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) annual meeting. WFPA, the trade association representing the interests of the state’s private forest landowners for 116 years, is a trusted authority on sustainable forestry practices and a leading voice on the important role private forest landowners play in ... Read More The post 2024 WFPA Annual Meeting and Video Links to Pane...| Washington Forest Protection Association
Forests play a critical role in our ecosystem, economy and quality of life. However, the misguided notion that the best way to preserving forests is leaving forestlands untouched is not only outdated but also potentially harmful. Actively managing forests to reduce wildfire severity is a long-held indigenous practice that has gained renewed support among individuals and organizations representing diverse interests, ... Read More The post Why a balanced approach leads to healthy forests appear...| Washington Forest Protection Association
Washington State is one of the best places in the world to grow and harvest trees. The state has the highest percentage of land in the high-site productivity class, which leads to extremely high growth rates. A stand of intensively managed Douglas fir, for example, absorbs more than 9 metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) per acre at its peak ... Read More The post Working Forests help achieve Washington’s Climate Reduction Goals appeared first on Washington Forest Protection Association.| Washington Forest Protection Association
Washington’s forest products industry is a cornerstone of the state’s economy, providing crucial support to rural communities and offering over 102,000 family wage jobs across all counties. These jobs contribute significantly to local economies, with the forest industry injecting $5.6 billion in wages and $300 million in taxes annually. However, the sustainability of these jobs is at risk due to ... Read More The post Labor and Management work together in the Forest appeared first on Wash...| Washington Forest Protection Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 17, 2023 Contact: Cindy Mitchell, 360-791-9372 WFPA highlights benefits healthy, working forests provide at Annual Meeting Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) members and forestry sector partners convened Thursday (November 16th) at the Indian Summer Golf & Country Club for the 2023 annual meeting. WFPA, the trade association for the state’s private forest landowners, is a ... Read More The post WFPA highlights benefits healthy, working forests...| Washington Forest Protection Association
At the 125th anniversary celebration of the Society of American Foresters, Cindy Mitchell and Jason Spadaro of the Washington Forest Protection Association offered a reminder that forestry has always been a story of adaptation to forest policies that shape how working forests are managed. Cindy began by taking the audience back to WFPA’s roots when the 1902 catastrophic Yacolt Burn ... Read More The post Learning from the Past, Shaping the Future of Forest Policy appeared first on Washingto...| Washington Forest Protection Association
Washington’s forest practices regulations have evolved since the Forest Practices Act (FPA) was introduced in 1974. The goal of the FPA has been to ensure sustainable forest management that balances timber harvesting with the protection of the environment. Over the years, the state has refined its compliance efforts, shifting from addressing complaints to proactive monitoring, focused on both education and ... Read More The post Compliance Monitoring Report Shows Strong Performance in Washi...| Washington Forest Protection Association