Washington Hunter
Well-known member
NEWS RELEASE No. 05-052
May 9, 2005
Contact: Princess Jackson-Smith, 360-902-1066, [email protected]
State Expands Funding for Family Forests
Deadline for fish passage applications is June 30
OLYMPIA - Acknowledging the significant role family forest owners play in protecting public resources, the 2005 Legislature dramatically increased funding for two key state-sponsored programs that support small woodlot owners. Both programs, aimed at conserving and enhancing streams and fish habitat, provide public funding that helps family forest owners continue to practice their unique style of stewardship forestry.
During the last legislative session, the budget appropriation for the Family Forest Fish Passage Program doubled to $4 million and the Forestry Riparian Easement Program doubled to $8 million from previous years.
A 2000 study by Washington State University estimated that 27 percent of small forestlands have fish-bearing streams running through them. “This is a boon for family forest owners statewide who have sensitive habitat areas on their lands,” said Kirk Hanson, funding and outreach coordinator for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Small Forest Landowner Office, which helps to manage both programs.
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program provides funding to small forest landowners for fixing fish barriers. Jointly managed by the Departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the program has already received applications for over 200 fish barriers in its first two years.
For landowners who qualify, the program provides 75 to100 percent of the cost of correcting culverts, earthen dams and other obstructions to fish passage associated with forest roads that cross fish-bearing streams.
To qualify as a small forest landowner, a landowner must harvest an average of not more than two million board feet of timber per year. To date, 36 projects have been funded through the program, opening nearly 60 miles of fish habitat.
“This program was a dream come true,” said Dick Battin, a small forest landowner in Lewis County. “I’ve been trying to get my culvert fixed for years and applied to several different programs for help. Finally the fish passage program came through for me and was a very simple program to work with. As soon as the culvert was fixed, coho immediately began swimming upstream.”
The annual deadline for submitting applications is June 30th. Applications received by that date will be ranked and prioritized and construction on funded projects will begin during the summer of 2006.
The Forestry Riparian Easement Program
The Forestry Riparian Easement Program compensates small forest landowners for part of the value of timber they are required by law to leave standing next to streams and wetlands.
Since the program began nearly five years ago, more than 120 landowners have applied for compensation, but the program has only had enough funding to purchase easements from roughly half of those landowners. The remaining applicants are put on a waiting list until additional funding is made available.
“With the increase in the easement program’s budget, we should be able to clear our backlog of applicants and enroll additional landowners in the program,” said Dan Pomerenk, coordinator for the program within the Small Forest Landowner Office.
To date, the easement program has conserved more than 1,100 acres of forestland adjacent to streams, wetlands and other sensitive sites.
“The easement program helped us pay off our mortgage,” said Howard Heacock of KBH Archers, a non-profit bow hunter’s club near Belfair that owns 25 acres of forestland, most of which is dominated by wetlands. “Now we can focus more of our funds on wildlife habitat enhancements and improving the forest for the use of our members.”
More information and applications for both programs can be found on the web at: www.dnr.wa.gov/sflo or by contacting the Small Forest Landowner Office at 360-902-1391; e-mail: [email protected].
DNR has varied responsibilities
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages more than 5 million acres of forest, range, commercial, agricultural and aquatic lands. Most of these lands produce income to support state services and provide many other public benefits as well: outdoor recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and clean air and water.
DNR also regulates surface mining reclamation and forest debris burning, and administers Forest Practices rules on private and state-owned forests. DNR provides technical assistance and education on forest stewardship, mining, geologic hazards, and rare plant species and ecosystems, and provides wildfire protection for 12 million acres of private and state-owned forests.
May 9, 2005
Contact: Princess Jackson-Smith, 360-902-1066, [email protected]
State Expands Funding for Family Forests
Deadline for fish passage applications is June 30
OLYMPIA - Acknowledging the significant role family forest owners play in protecting public resources, the 2005 Legislature dramatically increased funding for two key state-sponsored programs that support small woodlot owners. Both programs, aimed at conserving and enhancing streams and fish habitat, provide public funding that helps family forest owners continue to practice their unique style of stewardship forestry.
During the last legislative session, the budget appropriation for the Family Forest Fish Passage Program doubled to $4 million and the Forestry Riparian Easement Program doubled to $8 million from previous years.
A 2000 study by Washington State University estimated that 27 percent of small forestlands have fish-bearing streams running through them. “This is a boon for family forest owners statewide who have sensitive habitat areas on their lands,” said Kirk Hanson, funding and outreach coordinator for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Small Forest Landowner Office, which helps to manage both programs.
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program provides funding to small forest landowners for fixing fish barriers. Jointly managed by the Departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the program has already received applications for over 200 fish barriers in its first two years.
For landowners who qualify, the program provides 75 to100 percent of the cost of correcting culverts, earthen dams and other obstructions to fish passage associated with forest roads that cross fish-bearing streams.
To qualify as a small forest landowner, a landowner must harvest an average of not more than two million board feet of timber per year. To date, 36 projects have been funded through the program, opening nearly 60 miles of fish habitat.
“This program was a dream come true,” said Dick Battin, a small forest landowner in Lewis County. “I’ve been trying to get my culvert fixed for years and applied to several different programs for help. Finally the fish passage program came through for me and was a very simple program to work with. As soon as the culvert was fixed, coho immediately began swimming upstream.”
The annual deadline for submitting applications is June 30th. Applications received by that date will be ranked and prioritized and construction on funded projects will begin during the summer of 2006.
The Forestry Riparian Easement Program
The Forestry Riparian Easement Program compensates small forest landowners for part of the value of timber they are required by law to leave standing next to streams and wetlands.
Since the program began nearly five years ago, more than 120 landowners have applied for compensation, but the program has only had enough funding to purchase easements from roughly half of those landowners. The remaining applicants are put on a waiting list until additional funding is made available.
“With the increase in the easement program’s budget, we should be able to clear our backlog of applicants and enroll additional landowners in the program,” said Dan Pomerenk, coordinator for the program within the Small Forest Landowner Office.
To date, the easement program has conserved more than 1,100 acres of forestland adjacent to streams, wetlands and other sensitive sites.
“The easement program helped us pay off our mortgage,” said Howard Heacock of KBH Archers, a non-profit bow hunter’s club near Belfair that owns 25 acres of forestland, most of which is dominated by wetlands. “Now we can focus more of our funds on wildlife habitat enhancements and improving the forest for the use of our members.”
More information and applications for both programs can be found on the web at: www.dnr.wa.gov/sflo or by contacting the Small Forest Landowner Office at 360-902-1391; e-mail: [email protected].
DNR has varied responsibilities
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages more than 5 million acres of forest, range, commercial, agricultural and aquatic lands. Most of these lands produce income to support state services and provide many other public benefits as well: outdoor recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and clean air and water.
DNR also regulates surface mining reclamation and forest debris burning, and administers Forest Practices rules on private and state-owned forests. DNR provides technical assistance and education on forest stewardship, mining, geologic hazards, and rare plant species and ecosystems, and provides wildfire protection for 12 million acres of private and state-owned forests.
