Success for Washington State Community Forests!
Over the past 18 months, the Washington State leadership has reaffirmed its support for Community Forests across the State. Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)’s Community Forest Program, a funding program established in 2019, and fully implemented in 2020, received a full slate of applications during the 2022 funding cycle. The 2022 applicants requested $13.6 million in funding, to support the management, due diligence, and acquisition process for five Community Forest sites. The properties pursuing funding were scattered across the state, from the banks of the Chehalis River, the forests nestled within the Islands of the Puget Sound, to the foothills of Mt. Baker and Mount Rainier. In total, funding was requested from the program to progress the acquisition of nearly 2,600 acres of at-risk forestland to move towards Community Forest Management.
Photo: Nisqually Community Forest - Rachel Lee, Washington Conservation Action
During the initial funding allocation in 2022, three of the five community forest applicants received support and funding from the review committee, leaving two projects unfunded. As of December 30, 2022, $5.78 million of unfunded community forest projects from this application remained uncommitted.
Through the support and advocacy of NWCFC partners - Forterra, Mount Adams Resource Stewards, Nisqually Indian Tribe, Sustainable Northwest, The Nature Conservancy - Washington, Washington Association of Land Trusts, Washington Conservation Action, Whatcom Land Trust and many more (you can read the sign-on letters facilitated by WALT here) – the Governor’s 2023-2025 supplemental budget included additional funding to RCO’s program.
This is a major step in ensuring that all five of the initial applicants to the program will receive full funding, and that $13.6 million of support Washington State based community forests in the 2023-2025 biennium.
The timing of news for the full funding of the RCO Community Forest Program comes at perfect time, with the 2024 grant cycle opening on February 14, 2024 and running through May 1 of 2024.
Photo: Stewart Mountain - Whatcom Land Trust
Pictured on the left is Stewart Mountain, one of the five Community Forests receiving support from RCO’s Community Forest Funding. This funding will support the acquisition of over 1,600-acres of the property.
The Stewart Mountain Community Forest is a collaborative effort to adopt approximately 5,500 acres of forestland into local ownership, to be managed for the use and benefit of the surrounding community.
In order for the remaining Community Forest properties to receive full funding, the remaining $5.78 million will need to be priorities in Washington’s 2024 budget. Washington State Legislative Session begins on January 8, 2024 and will work quickly to produce a full budget for new and continued programming across the state. Keep an eye out for opportunities to advocate for these programs with Washington Association of Land Trust, and other partners
Thanks to the hard work of supporters of community forests across Washington and throughout the greater Pacific Northwest region – it is clear that there is both a need for, and support of the development of more community forests into the future. This work would not have been possible without the leadership from the Washington Association of Land Trusts to bring together community forest partners across the State.