A new collaborative approach hopes to show responsible environmental stewardship can boost the health of Washington’s forests and the state’s regional economies.
Efforts to work together toward the common goal of improving the forest trace back to the formation of the Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative in 2007. Its focus continued to narrow as the Little Naches Working Group, with 40 regular members representing a wide variety of interests and expertise, helped the Forest Service develop plans for the nearly 57,000-acre Little Crow Area.
Work previously done on a 711-acre parcel of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in southern Kittitas County and a small part of Yakima County makes it the ideal starting point for Little Crow restoration, says U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Holly Krake. And, significant commercial logging efforts to reduce the risk of wildfire should provide jobs and add revenue to help pay for future treatments to restore a more natural state.
“You’re looking at a suite of different benefits, including recreation improvements, road improvements and native fish habitats,” Krake said. “All of that brings tourism.”
Little Naches Working Group chair Lloyd McGee of The Nature Conservancy credited the Forest Service for its transparency and responsiveness that led to “strong agreement” with the prescriptions for restoration, especially when it comes to logging. After 25 years of protecting all trees on federal land decimated the logging industry’s workforce, some of those remaining still question the Forest Service’s approach.
From The Daily News: https://tdn.com/ap/state/logging-operations-critical-to-forest-restoration/article_50823d6f-ee3d-5e5d-bc78-ae36afd703d7.html