HomeMy WebLinkAbout021023 FW_ Comments on Feb 6 Workshop and Forestry Mgt Report
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From: Cyndy Bratz
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2023 12:38:56 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
To: Greg Brotherton; Heidi Eisenhour; Kate Dean
Subject: Comments on Feb 6 Workshop and Forestry Mgt Report
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Hello Commissioners Brotherton, Dean and Eisenhour,
I was unable to attend the February 6 Workshop on Jefferson County Forestry Management by Chickadee Forestry. I am grateful for the audio/visual recordings the county provides, and
sure appreciate being able to watch these proceedings after the fact.
I appreciate the BOCC's care, effort and funding for the county forester and team to do the analysis and report that was presented. Thanks to Malloree and her team for their work on
this analysis and (generally) to update the Forests for the Future Report.
I am writing to provide the following comments as a private citizen:
* Is the report in draft or final form? If draft, are you taking comments on the report itself?
* Comment on Jefferson County Forestry Management by Chickadee Forestry: p. 9-10 states, "Following the discussions that arose around the DNR harvests during the summer of 2022 on some
of what the Center for Responsible Forestry has termed, "legacy forests" (the remaining stands of forests that are pre-1920)..." This is incorrect and "pre-1920" should be replaced
by "pre-1940". The Center for Responsible Forestry website defines legacy forests as, "A legacy forest is a naturally regenerated (i.e. non-plantation) mixed-species forest harvested
before WWII with the potential to develop old growth characteristics." WWII began in 1939 (according to history.com <http://history.com> and many other sources).
* Also replace "pre-1920" with "pre-1940" on the table footnote 'DNR Property Recommendations for Jefferson County' (Appendix).
* p. 2 of the Executive Summary states, "During the summer of 2022 community concerns were raised over DNR harvests in Jefferson County that would remove some of the small percentage
of remaining older forests (pre-1930)." This is incorrect and "pre-1930" should be replaced by "pre-1940".
* Please ask DNR to stop planning, layout and putting up for sale all forests last harvested pre-1940. I noted at the Feb 6 Workshop that the BOCC was discussing "older forests" as
pre-1920 rather than pre-1940, and am not sure why. It was just before WWII when most timber harvesters started using gas-powered chain saws and industrial-scale timber harvesting
equipment and techniques (including spraying to prevent a diverse understory from growing). Older forests which are most valuable to protect (for climate mitigation, biodiversity and
other ecosystem services) are those that were harvested pre-1940. All of these stands. It matters that we protect these 83+ year old forests and not allow those 83-103 year old tracts
to be cut.
* With the additions of the above comments, I agree with Dr Patricia Jones' comments and second them.
* As the County's forestry work moves forward, please establish/maintain the primary forestry goal of climate change mitigation. Large, older forests remove and store the most carbon.
It strikes me that my comments come from the standpoint of taking urgent action to mitigate climate change, when I care about much more, including economics. Paul Krugman's (Nobel prize
winning economist) quote from a New York Times opinion piece (August 2017) summarizes our predicament:
"In a rational world urgent action to limit climate change would be the overwhelming policy priority for governments everywhere."
Thank you for your actions in this regard, and for all the other benefits that forests provide,
- Cyndy Bratz
Port Townsend