Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Kilmer Tour Aberdeen Sawmill, Highlight Work of Olympic Peninsula Forest Collaborative with Stakeholders
Aberdeen, WA – Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in Aberdeen to tour Sierra Pacific Industries’ local sawmill yesterday.
Following the tour they sat down with timber, conservation, and business leaders from the Olympic Peninsula Forest Collaborative to highlight how collaborative public-private partnerships have flourished under this Administration, creating initiatives and investments that have helped to boost Washington’s agriculture and forest product industries. During the roundtable members of the Collaborative also announced a new Olympic National Forest pilot project and a series of upcoming public meetings.
“It was an honor to host Secretary Vilsack so he could hear firsthand about the work we are doing to support jobs on the Olympic Peninsula,” said Representative Kilmer. “Our forests keep our waters clean, provide habitat for wildlife, and bring visitors from all over to take in some amazing sites. They also fuel our mills, provide quality jobs, and promote stronger, more economically viable rural communities. The Secretary saw how the Olympic Peninsula Forest Collaborative that we’ve launched has brought all sides to the table – the conservation community and the timber industry – to work toward real progress in improving the health of our forests and strengthening our local economy.”
“I want to thank Representative Kilmer for inviting me to Aberdeen and giving me the opportunity to have an important discussion about forest conservation with these men and women,” said Secretary Vilsack. “The future of our forests is a very personal matter, for the folks who are in the timber business as well as those in the conservation and environmental community. There are more than 100,000 jobs in Washington that are connected directly to the timber industry, contributing to vibrant rural communities. This collaboration has shown that the priorities of all of these groups are in fact not mutually exclusive, and I really appreciate the Congressman’s understanding that trust and relationships can lead to forward progress.”
The Collaborative reached agreement on a proposed pilot project on the Olympic National Forest that will feature forest restoration treatments that benefit the ecosystem and provide for additional harvest in the region. Upon approval by the Forest Service and other federal agencies, this proposed project will help supplement the work of the agency within the Northwest Forest Plan.
This agreement builds on the successful partnership between the Collaborative and the Olympic National Forest, which accelerated the Donkey Creek timber sale in Grays Harbor County earlier this year and added capacity to the agency’s annual work plan.
At the meeting, the collaborative also announced that it will be kicking off an effort to engage the public in its efforts. The first public meeting will take place in Forks this December, and there will be four additional meetings across the Olympic Peninsula during 2016.
This past May in Port Angeles, Kilmer joined regional leaders from the National Forest Service, local governments, the local timber industry, and environmental advocacy groups to officially launch the Olympic Peninsula Forest Collaborative. The Collaborative is focused on landscape restoration, watershed protection, and habitat conservation that will create economic opportunities on the Olympic Peninsula. Among the items discussed at the official launch were the group’s goals and governance structure, along with the best ways to incorporate feedback from the public.
The Collaborative is modeled on similar partnerships in Washington state like the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition. It is the first of its kind on the Peninsula solely dedicated to creating environmentally sound forests while increasing sustainable timber harvests.
Participants in the Collaborative include: American Forest Resource Council, American Whitewater, Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Interfor, Merrill & Ring, the Mountaineers, Murphy Company, Olympic Park Associates, Olympic Forest Coalition, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Pew Charitable Trusts, Sierra Pacific Industries, Washington Wild, and the Wild Olympics Campaign.
Since first coming to Congress Kilmer has worked to help stand up the collaborative. In December of 2013 he announced the formation of the partnership and has worked with stakeholders in the conservation, timber, and local governments on the launch. He is also the Co-Chair of the Healthy Forest Caucus, founded in 2013. The caucus is a bipartisan working group devoted to the state of forest health, forest management practices, conservation efforts and engagement with communities that depend on the health of our forests.
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