HomeMy WebLinkAbout004 Freeman 2Leopold-Freeman Forests LLC
8412 36th Avenue NE
Seattle WA 98115 USA
tel. 206.300.4448
sfreeman991@gmail.com
5 November 2018
Planning Commission
Jefferson County
Dear Planning Commission Members:
I co-own a small forest products company that owns and manages about 215 acres of commercial
forest in the Tarboo Creek watershed of east Jefferson County. Our business is registered in Seattle
for the purposes of licensing, but all of our operations occur in Jefferson County.
Although our company is young and currently small, we are growing into a vertically integrated
operation that grows, processes, and sells high-value timber products for furniture and architectural
applications. We are following the progress of the Chimacum Community Forest and supporting
the effort, and partner with other small milling and wood processing businesses in south Jefferson
County. Like the recent renaissance of small-scale agriculture and agritourism throughout the
county, we see small-scale, high-value forest products as a key to the continued revitalization of
our rural economy. Good things are happening.
I am writing because our company is concerned about the recent gun range ordinance, which clears
the way for large-scale conversion of commercial forest land in Jefferson County for use as
privately owned military and paramilitary training centers. This land use is incompatible with the
longstanding commitment of the County to an economy based on forestry and agriculture, and a
threat to the growth of innovative forestry based businesses. Architects and contractors tour our
forest to choose trees for projects. They will not support our business if those tours are
accompanied by automatic weapons fire. Similarly, the young people that we employ to do
thinning and pruning work do not want to spend time in a forest that is bombarded with gun noise.
Land use decisions are all about what kind of county we want to be. Please support the vision of a
growing, vital rural economy in Jefferson County that is grounded in working with and on the
land. Protect commercial forestland. Endorse sensible restrictions on the size, location, and
intensity of gun ranges, or simply require new ranges to be built indoors.
Sincerely,
Scott Freeman, Manager