HomeMy WebLinkAbout031226 - DNR Trust Land Transfer Application in Jefferson CountyALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Officials,
My name is Kenny Ocker, and I am the Trust Land Transfer Program manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. I wanted to reach out to you to inform you that the
opportunity for county review of Trust Land Transfer applications for the 2027-29 biennium that include State Forest Lands (lands that support county governments and junior taxing districts)
is now open.
DNR received only two application that includes State Forest Transfer lands in Jefferson County, the DNR Natural Areas Program’s applications to add lands into the Dabob Bay Natural
Area. The applications, which were broken in two to make them easier to potentially fund, and maps of the lands are attached to this email.
Save for approximately 40 acres in the Dabob B application that are designated to support the Common School Trust, essentially all of the 2,627 acres that DNR’s Natural Areas Program
applied for are State Forest Transfer lands currently designated to support junior taxing districts. All of the acres applied for are already inside the long-term boundary of the Dabob
Bay Natural Area.
If the Trust Land Transfer in your county is approved, the funding from the Legislature will allow DNR to purchase replacement lands to manage in trust that are better suited to generate
revenue for your county and junior taxing districts in the future. The bare land value will be used to procure replacement lands, but the county can choose to either invest the timber
value into replacement lands as well or do a one-time payment to the junior taxing districts as if the timber had been harvested and sold.
Comments from county governments regarding this application will be accepted through April 15, 2026.
Upon conclusion of this comment window, applicants will make presentations to the Trust Land Transfer Advisory Committee, which will then create a prioritized list of applications. County
support for these applications, or the lack thereof, is an important component of the Trust Land Transfer evaluation process. After the advisory committee’s meetings to compile that
ranked list, the list will be taken to the Board of Natural Resources and, if approved, will then be fashioned into a legislative funding request for next session.
For more information on the Trust Land Transfer process, please click here <https://dnr.wa.gov/land-transactions/trust-land-transfer> . If you have any further questions, please reach
out to me at kenny.ocker@dnr.wa.gov <mailto:kenny.ocker@dnr.wa.gov> or 360-810-1217 and I will be happy to assist you.
Thanks, and take care!
-- KO
Kenny Ocker
Trust Land Transfer Program Manager
Asset Management Division
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Cell: 360-810-1217
kenny.ocker@dnr.wa.gov <mailto:kenny.ocker@dnr.wa.gov>