INDEX – To the joy of many people in this small community, a timber company has halted its proposal to log a mountain ridge south of town.
W.B. Foresters of Stanwood on Wednesday withdrew an application to log 95 acres on the ridge after state officials determined there is fish habitat on the land, said Debbie Buse, the company’s business manager.
“We needed to back off and need to look at some serious issues,” Buse said Thursday.
People in the town of 150 welcomed the news. About 20 people recently dropped by the Town Hall, saying the project would lower their property values and damage the area’s environment and scenic view.
“I feel cautiously very optimistic about being able to protect the area,” said Louise Lindgren, who has lived in the town for about 30 years.
The controversy showed a change in the town’s mood from the old days. Index was incorporated in 1907 and thrived on logging and mining.
The company owns the acreage called Heybrook Ridge. Alders in the area are mature and need to be harvested before the trees die off, Buse said.
The discovery of the fish habitat changes the criteria needed to obtain a state permit, Buse said. The company also needs to examine how stable the ridge’s slope is.
The company doesn’t know when it will resubmit the application, Buse said.
People in the town will try to team up with a conservation group to buy the land, Lindgren said. The area has a rich ecosystem, which could be used to educate the public about nature, she said.
“We still feel it’s important to put that land into the public sector,” she said.
The logging company is open to selling the land to a conservation group, and it hopes to work out a solution with residents, Buse said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
