We must increase timber revenues

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 3, 2003

I read with interest the article regarding the need to construct new schools in the Snohomish School District (“Snohomish lists need for schools,” Nov. 16). The growing population of K-12 students demands that the new school construction and improvements outlined in the article move forward to meet these needs. The problem is how to fund these projects. The usual method of bonds and levies may be difficult for voters who are already over-burdened with taxes. My property taxes have increased by more than 22 percent in the last six years. I don’t know how senior citizens and others on fixed income absorb these increased costs.

There are, however, other sources of revenue available for school construction. Proceeds from State Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service timber sales go directly to the state and counties for education and road maintenance. The DNR returns more than 70 percent of timber sale receipts to the general fund for school construction. The USFS gives 25 percent of the gross timber sale receipts directly to the county where the timber sale occurred.

During the Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie had an annual harvest of 780 to 850 million board feet per year, and returned $40 million to $55 million to local schools. The Clinton forest plan reduced the annual harvest.

Instead of increasing the tax burden on our taxpayers, we should utilize the resources that we have. We need to maintain the timber harvest on DNR lands, and bring back a timber sale program on those commercial forests managed by the Forest Service. Let’s increase those timber revenues to support public education.

Lake Stevens