Statewide Efforts
77k Acres - Legacy Forest Conservation:
On Tuesday, August 26th, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove signed a Commissioner’s Order directing the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to conserve 77,000 acres of mature, structurally complex forests across Western Washington for their multiple ecosystem services benefits.
On the same day the Order was announced, DNR also released preliminary maps of the 77,000 acres through their newly launched “structurally complex forest finder.”
The preliminary selection was far from ideal, and contained major errors, many of which were identified by the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition (LFDC), who did a thorough review of the mapping issues and implications - all of which alarmed the conservation community. The selection of acreage in the preliminary DNR maps seemed to contradict the supposed intent of the executive order: to conserve 77,000 acres of mature, structurally complex forests.
CRF is now laser focused on advocating for the DNR to adopt the best possible criteria for making the ultimate selection of the 77,000 acres as strong as possible. We are rolling up our sleeves and working on influencing the next iteration of the map of conservation acres, working towards a map that we can support as an organization dedicated to the permanent conservation of legacy forest on our state public lands.​​
Trust Land Transfer (TLT) Capital Budget Request
We are advocating for significantly increasing funding for the TLT program for this biennium and going forward. Last session, DNR requested $30 million and got $16 million. In September of 2025, DNR requested $14 million be included in the Governor’s 2026 Supplemental Budget proposal. We support the DNR request but we advocate for a much higher level of TLT funding- at least $30 million. There are numerous highly ranked TLT projects from the last cycle needing funding. DNR just closed applications for the 2027 cycle and they received an overwhelming response- just as they did last round. The TLT Program needs to be funded at $60-80 million per cycle. Adequately funding TLT will boost conservation and help the trust beneficiaries.
Trust Land Transfer is an excellent conservation program that was started in 1989. The DNR solicits applications every two years and then an advisory group ranks the project list.
The program works by designating lands for conservation and transferring them to a receiving agency and then uses the money from the legislature to buy replacement land of equal value for the original trust. It is a way to advance conservation and keep the beneficiaries whole. The program dwindled during the Franz years at DNR but was revitalized and codified by the legislature in 2023. DNR is once again prioritizing TLT but they need more money to meet the large demand for projects from all over the state. One other interesting feature of the revitalized TLT is that it allows “Cash for Counties”. If the TLT occurs on land where a county is the main beneficiary, the county can ask for some of the value upfront in cash rather than receiving it all in the form of replacement forest land. This new flexibility can help solve problems when local governments are experiencing financial challenges.
Support DNR’s Revenue Diversification Legislation
DNR must develop new revenue sources so it can break its dependence on logging revenue. The Agency needs to diversify its funding sources for trust beneficiaries and for its own operations because right now it is too dependent on logging just to cover basic expenses. Next session we will be advocating for the passage of DNR request legislation that will provide clear and improved authority to monetize the ecosystem services (e.g. carbon, biodiversity) generated by state lands.
The most developed market for ecosystem services is the carbon market and DNR wants to be able to do carbon projects which would generate revenue by monetizing the carbon stored, emissions avoided, and additional sequestration generated from using more ecological forestry approaches. Right now, the DNR has authority, but it is cumbersome because they have to use a lease mechanism and involve a third party which lessens the revenue that DNR can generate.
The lease mechanism also prohibits them from selling carbon offsets into the regulatory market which often commands higher prices than the voluntary market and which offers protections for the areas enrolled up to 100 years. The Commissioner of Public Lands wants to be able to use the carbon markets on some of the forests included in the Commissioner’s 77k acre conservation proposal which would significantly protect these areas for the duration of the carbon project contract- 40 or 100 years. This protective feature is another big reason we are strong advocates for DNR getting this better authority. It will give DNR another important conservation tool.
Continue Natural Climate Solutions Account investment to support carbon storage and sequestration in our older, structurally complex state forests
We are advocating for a fourth year of funding from the NCSA to do three things - help conserve more older forests by buying replacement land for trust beneficiaries, help replace more forests for the encumbered land counties and invest more NCS funding in helping DNR expand the use of ecological forest management techniques. The NCSA is a sub account of the overall Climate Commitment Act. The money comes in from the CCA auctions. Funds became available for the first time in 2023, and we were able to secure $83 million in the inaugural CCA budget.
This funding helped to conserve 2000 acres of structurally complex forests. In 2024 and 2025 we joined together with the Washington State Association of Counties and jointly advocated for a two-pronged approach- more conservation and more replacement forests for the encumbered land counties. These are counties that lost a lot of working forest land during prior federally mandated conservation actions. These counties include Clallam, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Skamania. For the 2026 session we plan to once again work with our coalition allies and request NCS funding. Similar to the TLT program the 2025 NCS appropriation allows the “Cash for Counties” flexibility. We will be requesting that flexibility be continued in our asks for NCS going forward.
Breaking free from the "False Choice
​The repetitive disinformation dolled out by Big Timber marketing and industry-funded ”research” cannot undermine the ecological reality of our forested ecosystem. We do not have to abide by the false choice of clearcut logging versus ecological forestry. We do not have to perpetuate the false choice of aggressive industrial logging versus funding schools and important county services. The scientific community has shown that there are ways to manage forests ecologically BOTH for timber harvest AND for ecological integrity.
Commissioner Upthegrove’s order to protect 77,000 acres of legacy forests helps take us one step closer to breaking free from the prison of false choices, and aligns with:
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Legal authority: In 2022, the State Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the Conservation NW et al. v. Franz case that DNR’s mandate includes benefiting both trust beneficiaries and the public: WA’s forests can be managed for multiple benefits, not solely for maximizing timber revenue. Commissioner Upthegrove’s order is the first major action that puts DNR’s newly affirmed broad discretion into action.
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Legislative action: Over the past three years, Washington’s legislature has allocated around $120 million under the Climate Commitment Act to acquire replacement forestlands in exchange for conserving these carbon-rich legacy forests because of their significant climate benefits.
This is a shift toward a bigger vision—one where we rethink forestry and create new ways for rural communities to thrive. There is room to find win-win solutions.
We need to consistently reinforce the new legal precedent: under the CNW vs. Franz ruling, DNR has broad discretion to manage public lands for myriad benefits—not just maximum timber revenue.
And let’s face reality: the current funding system is outdated. Some rural communities and DNR itself still depend heavily on timber revenue generated through industrial clear-cut practices. This needs to change. CRF will be working closely with the DNR and state lawmakers to develop alternative funding sources for rural communities and to expand ecological forest management across the state.
Ecological Forestry
Ecological forestry is guided by four key principles: continuity, complexity/diversity, timing, and context. It aims to mimic natural forest processes and prioritize the long-term health and resilience of forests while balancing human needs. This approach focuses on maintaining biodiversity, promoting ecosystem resilience, and ensuring sustainable yields of forest products, while also engaging local communities in decision-making.
CRF is actively working towards growing ecological forestry in the PNW that:
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Is worker centered and supports local industry.
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Provides local lumber for local use
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Improves the health of ecosystems and watersheds at a landscape scale
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Makes our communities more resilient to climate change and wildfire
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Protects Mature, Structurally Complex Forest (to increase the Old Growth of our Future)
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Manages our forests for multiple community needs: economic, environmental, and cultural, to honor our heritage of loving the great outdoors.
