WASHINGTON, STATE – Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove defended his decision to pause some timber sales and said he will seek 2026 legislation to diversify revenue from state trust lands, arguing the state can “do more for climate and habitat while providing stability.”
In an interview on TVW’s “Inside Olympia,” Upthegrove told host Austin Jenkins that his halt on harvesting in older, “structurally complex forests” — those that have some but not all the characteristics of “old-growth”— began as a six-month hold for restoration and protection. It was intended to refresh inventory data and gather input from tribes, industry, school districts and counties.
All but four of the 24 paused sales in such forests have been lifted. Three timber sales in the Elwha River watershed remain on hold as a condition of a budget provision requiring a study of whether conserving the surrounding forests could enhance ecosystem recovery from a dam removal before any logging can resume. A fourth sale in Kitsap County will remain paused at the county’s request as it seeks funding to purchase the sale area for conservation and recreation.
As most of the pause lifted in August, Upthegrove directed preservation of 77,000 acres while allowing logging on about 29,000 acres, a split he called a “sweet spot” to limit near-term fiscal impacts while testing new approaches. “These lands don’t belong to industry. They belong to we, the people,” he said, adding his duty is to manage in the public interest while meeting constitutional trust obligations.
The move drew both process and revenue criticisms from editorial boards and former lawmakers, while some conservationists said it didn’t go far enough.
Upthegrove said he spent months in meetings — including with 20 of the state’s 29 tribal councils — and called the action an internal directive to staff, not a vote of the Forest Practices Board.
He disputed claims of widespread economic harm, noting 70% of Washington’s wood supply comes from private lands and more than 90% of Department of Natural Resources timberlands are unaffected. He said ecological thinning, acquiring replacement timberlands and entering carbon-credit and other environmental markets could support rural economies.
Upthegrove said his department will propose an agency-request bill in the 2026 session to let the department take part in carbon and other “ecosystem service” markets, which turn natural assets into revenue. Those tools would not fully replace timber revenue, he said, but could become a “meaningful piece” of a diversified model.
He also urged lawmakers to restore wildfire-prevention funding that was cut last cycle.
A 2021 framework envisioned $125 million per biennium for forest health, community resilience and response; the current budget provides about $60 million, he said. With longer seasons and more blazes on both sides of the Cascades, “without the funding restored, we’re going to see more fires and bigger fires,” Upthegrove said.
He likened the Department of Natural Resources’ suppression role to an emergency room — “we put it out no matter what” — and cited state costs of about $500,000 a day to fight two large central Washington fires this fall.
Framing the trade-off, Upthegrove said prevention dollars can avert larger suppression bills and protect communities while his agency pilots new revenue streams: “We can do more for climate and habitat while providing stability” for schools, counties and the timber workforce.
This article was first published by TVW, a media nonprofit that provides comprehensive coverage of the state legislature and state government. TVW broadcasts unedited gavel-to-gavel coverage on statewide cable and at tvw.org, and produces original current affairs and education shows, including Inside Olympia and The Impact. TVW’s mission is to give Washingtonians access to their state government, increase civic access and engagement, and foster an informed citizenry.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.
