In the early 1900s, forest harvesting practices left large tracts of eastern Pierce County barren. Planting new trees and future harvesting were not considered back then. In addition, wildfires swept through the landscape.
The state Department of Forestry—a predecessor of DNR—was asked to manage these cut-over forests. Many were tax-delinquent lands recently acquired by the state. The agency planted millions of seedlings, fought wildfires, thinned the forests, and the trees flourished.
In the 1980s, through land trades with private parties, DNR acquired better access for these forest landscapes that flank the little town of Elbe in the Nisqually River Valley near Mount Rainier. These forested state trust lands are now the Tahoma and Elbe State Forests.
Like other forested trust lands statewide, DNR manages the Elbe and Tahoma State Forests to sustain healthy, diverse forest habitats, and income production into the future. In addition these trust forests offer education and recreation opportunities for the public.
Elbe State Forest covers 22,161 acres owned by several state trusts – each with its own beneficiaries. Management activities earn funding to build K-12 public schools, state universities and other institutions, and help fund local county services.
For a historical perspective, see DNR’s YouTube channel and see past and present forest practices on DNR’s Flickr site.
