Kilmer Asks Forest Service Chief to Support Olympic Forest Collaborative and Responsible Increase of Harvest on the ONF
Washington, DC – In 2015, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) helped launch the Olympic Forest Collaborative to unite the environmental community and the timber industry around a common goal of increasing harvest levels on the Olympic National Forest (ONF). The Collaborative is modeled on similar partnerships in Washington state like the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition and is the first of its kind on the Peninsula solely dedicated to creating environmentally sound forests while increasing sustainable timber harvests.
In recent years, the ONF has struggled to produce meaningful harvest levels necessary to improve forest health, restore critical salmon spawning habitat, and support timber dependent communities. On Thursday, Rep. Kilmer asked U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Vicki Christiansen in a House Appropriations Committee hearing how she plans to support the region’s efforts to increase harvest levels and forest restoration projects on the ONF. He also invited her to visit the ONF.
“For years, the Olympic National Forest has struggled to produce meaningful harvest levels necessary to improve forest health, restore critical salmon spawning habitat, and support timber dependent communities. I know that resource limitations have impacted operations service-wide – and that’s something our Committee has been working to address – but we’re experiencing some acute challenges on the ONF that I could really use your help on. I honestly can’t remember the last time the ONF met its annual harvest target – we’ve got to do better,” said Rep. Kilmer.
He continued, “That brings me to the opportunities – we’ve got the Olympic Forest Collaborative that’s united folks from the environmental community and the timber industry around a common goal of increasing harvest levels on the ONF. I am proud to say that they’ve executed a few pilot projects that have helped the ONF produce a couple million additional board feet of timber while also accomplishing some important restoration goals. These projects have demonstrated the power of collaborative forest planning for meeting the goals of our region, but we need to scale up in order to achieve those benefits. Especially as rural communities throughout my district continue to take it on the chin. […] But there’s only so much we can accomplish without dedicated support and resources. Can you tell me how you plan to support our region’s efforts to increase harvest levels and forest restoration projects on the ONF? How can I help support those efforts?”
Chief Christiansen accepted the invitation to visit the “beautiful” Olympic National Forest and committed to working with Rep. Kilmer to finding long-term solutions to increase sustainable timber harvests. “I’m absolutely committed. […] And I’ll be personally involved on how we can get some more directed resources to build that important leverage and collaborative capacity that’s important on the Olympic,” said Chief Christiansen.
She continued, “We know that ever community matters […] and I don’t have to remind you that I grew up looking at the Olympics. I’m from the Puget Sound. I was the Hood Canal district manager that partnered with the Olympic when I was in the State Natural Resources – and the importance of those watersheds, and the salmon, and the other fisheries resources and wildlife resources are absolutely critical. So, I want to affirm our commitment and affirm that we’ll be glad to work with you to figure out the good pathway forward for appropriate resourcing.”
You can watch the full exchange HERE.
A native of the Olympic Peninsula, Rep. Kilmer has worked to protect the health of the forests and responsibly increase harvest levels. As a Member of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Kilmer authored a provision in the Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus appropriations package highlighting the value of collaborative forest management and directing the U.S. Forest Service to prioritize resources to better leverage support from existing Forest Collaboratives to expedite project development and approval of forest treatments developed by Collaboratives. He also secured $27 million for the USFS Forest Products Laboratory to continue research to advance wood markets, including research on wood-based nanotechnology; advanced wood products that incorporate carbon fiber, and wood use in building construction, including research on the life cycle of impacts of wood as a building material. These funds could complement the work being done by organizations, like the Composite Recycling Technology Center in Port Angeles, to drive innovation in this arena with a goal of creating jobs on the Olympic Peninsula.
In August 2019, Rep. Kilmer brought the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior Committee to the Olympic Peninsula to meet with members of the Olympic Forest Collaborative to discuss the importance of forest collaboratives to the environment and to local economies.