State buys Oso forestland
Published 9:11 pm Tuesday, September 14, 2010
OSO — More than 1,300 acres south and west of Lake Cavanaugh will remain in timber production under management by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The state Board of Natural Resources last week approved the purchase of forestland in south-central Skagit County and north Snohomish County. The deal assures that the area will remain a working forest that provides logging jobs, DNR spokesman Bob Redling said.
The property was bought from Green Crow Corp. for $2.1 million. Green Crow is a longtime family-owned timber company, Redling said. About 85 acres of the property are located in Snohomish County.
With ownership by the state, there is little chance the forest will ever be developed into home sites, Redling said. The purchase makes sure that the forest, last logged about 20 years ago, will continue to mature.
Natural Resources employees plan to develop a habitat conservation plan for the area. In addition, the purchased area consolidates and connects other state-owned resource lands in the area that provide revenue for the state’s Common School Trust.
“It’s better to manage forests in large blocks and have easier access into the forest,” Redling said. “And it allows the local watershed to continue producing clean water.”
The DNR manages 5.6 million acres of state land, including: 2.9 million acres of trust lands that support public schools, universities, prisons, other state institutions and county services; 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands; and 130,000 acres of Natural Areas and Natural Resource Conservation Areas.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
