Several thousand acres of working forest on the southern flanks of Mount St. Helens will be protected from conversion to non-forest uses, such as residential development. In a news release today, DNR, Pope Resources and Columbia Land Trust jointly announced a $2.4 million purchase of a conservation easement from Pope Resources on about 6,886 acres of the company’s forestland along the Swift Reservoir in Skamania County. The easement was purchased by DNR using federal Forest Legacy Program funds.
Background and strategy
Besides preserving great views and open land, the easement on the Pope Resources-owned property signals a major step in a broader initiative by the Land Trust to eventually protect 20,000 acres of forest in the area from development pressure. The area is a popular regional destination for sightseeing, wildlife viewing and low-impact recreation.
A Seattle Times article last year described the growing number of strategic alliances between timber companies and conservationists to save working forests from conversion. The federal Forest Legacy Program, which is one mechanism to protect those forests, focuses on working forests that protect water quality and provide habitat, forest products, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits.
The easement purchase also aids DNR’s strategy of protecting state trust lands from development pressures. That’s because the tract is adjacent to several thousand acres of forestland that DNR manages for long-term revenue to state trusts including public school construction and Skamania County services.
| Follow DNR on: |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
