Newsletter Stories


Saturday, 09 June 2001
1.2 Million Acres in Washington State Recommended for FSC Certification

Hank Cauley, FSC, with Bruce Mackey, Washington DNR

On Friday, June 8th, The Pinchot Institute for Conservation, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), hosted a half-day public presentation on the certification assessment of 1.2 million acres of state forests in Western Washington.


On Friday, June 8th, The Pinchot Institute for Conservation, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), hosted a half-day public presentation on the certification assessment of 1.2 million acres of state forests in Western Washington.

FSC-accredited Scientific Certification Systems, in its Final Assessment Report submitted in May 2001 recommends the State for certification, with conditions. The report observed numerous “notable strengths" that are “indicative of exemplary forest management." They include:

  • A demonstrable record of tending stands to maintain health and vigor
  • Heightened focus on road maintenance, abandonment and environmentally sensitive construction
  • Culverts that form barriers to fish passage are being systematically replaced and problem roads repaired or obliterated
  • Pesticide use is minimal on trust forestlands, and is used primarily as a last resort

To read the full report, visit Scientific Certification Systems at www.scs1.com, or the Pinchot Institute at www.Pinchot.org.The June 8th event in Olympia, WA was attended by representatives from the environmental community, the forest products industry and retailers alike. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that it would likely take more than a year before DNR decides exactly how to proceed, pending evaluation of its financial situation.Should Washington pursue the certification, it would be the first western state to certify state-owned forestland. Washington’s 1.2 million acres would join 362,000 acres of FSC-certified state forests in Minnesota, 750,000 acres in New York, and 2.2 million acres in Pennsylvania. Currently, there are assessments or pre-assessments underway in 3 other states.“If DNR and the Board of Natural Resources choose to make the improvements needed to meet the certification conditions, state trust forests and the wildlife, fish and water in them will be better protected" 
-Becky Kelley, WA Environmental Council, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 9, 2001