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Center for
Responsible Forestry
The DNR manages
1.7 Million acres of Forest Land in
western Washington
Of this acreage, there are
only 77,000
Acres of Unprotected Legacy Forests. Many have already been clear cut.
We need to protect these last Legacy Forests, which represent Only 3%
of State Managed Land
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Legislative Advocacy Wins
CRF spearheaded effective grassroots campaigns supporting:
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2023: $83M to conserve 2,000 acres of complex forests and fund ecological forestry.
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2024: $15M to conserve complex forests and replace encumbered lands.
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2025: $23M to conserve complex forests, replace encumbered lands, and allow counties upfront replacement-value payments.
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2025: $250K to assess the Elwha Watershed for potential NRCA designation.
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CRF's Grassroots
Network
CRF works with communities and environmental groups to protect legacy forests through science-based policy advocacy.
We’ve built strong coalitions in Thurston, Snohomish, King, Whatcom, Jefferson, and Clallam counties, and provide education and outreach on the importance of protecting these forests.
What is a Legacy Forest?
Legacy Forests are mature, naturally regenerated pre-1945 forests that are structurally complex, biologically diverse, and store exceptional amounts of carbon.
They provide clean air, clean water, soil retention, major public-health and recreation benefits, and are vital for biodiversity, salmon habitat, and climate resilience.
With so little natural forest left, protecting them ensures they become the old growth of our future.
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"All the People" -
a history lesson
Washington’s legacy forests have been heavily logged because the 1889 Enabling Act granted the state 3 million acres of trust lands to fund public institutions, creating long-term dependence on timber revenue in an unsustainable model that holds rural communities and the timber industry alike in a kind of economic captivity.
This system forces a false choice between financing schools and counties and conserving carbon-dense, ecologically critical mature forests.
In 2022, the Washington Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Conservation Northwest et al. v. Franz held that under Article XVI, Section 1, DNR must manage these lands for “All the People,” not just for revenue maximization. The decision affirms DNR’s broad discretion to adopt modern forest policies that balance trust obligations with climate, ecological, public-health, and economic resilience.
CRF's key focus areas for the year ahead:
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Move Beyond the "False Choice" - Reinforce and advance ecological forestry practices that both generate revenue and sustain biodiversity, community resilience, local wood economies, and the long-term development of old-growth conditions—moving beyond the false choice between logging and funding for community services.
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77,000-Acre Conservation Order - Advocate for DNR to adopt accurate, science-based criteria to ensure the final 77,000 acres designated for conservation genuinely protects the best mature, structurally complex forests.
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Legislative Action & Policy Advocacy - Advance DNR authority to generate funding from ecosystem services like carbon offsets; secure Natural Climate Solutions Account (NCS) investments for conserving older forests, scaling ecological forest management statewide, and replacing county lands; secure significant additional Trust Land Transfer (TLT) funding in the 2026 supplemental budget to advance conservation while keeping beneficiaries whole.
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Public Education & Grassroots Engagement - Educate Washingtonians about the irreplaceable ecological and cultural value of legacy forests through fact-based outreach, community programming, and public engagement.
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Technical Mapping & Timber Sale Documentation - Create and maintain technical maps and conduct on-the-ground documentation of proposed timber sales to identify at risk legacy forests.
Hot off the Press - news updates
Center for Responsible Forestry
Contact
599 Camp Harmony Road
Quilcene, WA 98376