Ask the Board of Natural Resources to develop a carbon policy

The state’s Department of Natural Resources manages over two million acres of public forestland in Washington and yet has no explicit policy on how to incorporate climate and carbon science into management decisions. The Board of Natural Resources, which sets policies for the agency, has the unique ability to directly influence the amount of carbon that is stored in and released from our state’s forests.

Ask the Board to develop and adopt a carbon and climate change policy for our state-managed forests!

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Subject:

Please adopt a policy to address climate change on DNR-managed forests

Dear Board of Natural Resources members,

The Honorable Hilary Franz
Commissioner of Public Lands
Chair of the Board
 
The Honorable Bill Peach
Clallam County Commissioner
Vice-Chair of the Board
 
The Honorable Chris Reykdal
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction

André-Denis G. Wright
Dean, College of Agricultural, Human & Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University
 
Jim Cahill
Senior Budget Assistant to the Governor for Natural Resources, Designee for Governor Jay Inslee
 
Dan Brown, Ph.D.
Director, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment,
University of Washington

I am writing to urge you to develop and adopt a policy or rule that directly addresses management of state forestlands in the context of climate change. As the manager of over 2 million acres of Washington forestlands, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the steward of some of the most carbon-dense ecosystems on the planet, and yet has no explicit policy on how to incorporate climate and carbon science into management decisions. By conducting forest management without a formal climate or carbon policy, the BNR and DNR are failing to recognize the value of the sequestration potential of state trust lands and are not adequately guarding these lands against the harmful effects of climate change.

In June 2019, the University of Washington Regulatory Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, on behalf of Washington Environmental Council, Washington Conservation Voters, and the Washington Forest Law Center, presented the Board with a request to adopt a formal forest carbon policy or equivalent rule to address climate change on DNR-managed forests. I am writing in support of that request and to ask you to immediately begin work on such a policy.

As you know, every aspect of forest management affects and is affected by climate change. We are seeing the impacts already, including increased frequency and severity of wildfires, drought, and disease and pest outbreaks that threaten our forests, the services they provide, and the communities that depend on them.

In a 2018 letter to legislators, Commissioner Franz called for an investment in statewide carbon sequestration programs that maximize carbon stored in trees and soils. This Board has the unique ability to directly influence the amount of carbon that is stored in and released from our state’s forests. The Board can answer the Commissioner’s leadership call by establishing a policy that considers the carbon sequestration value of state-owned forests in all future planning efforts, and that uses this information to evaluate methods to implement carbon-friendly forestry on state forestlands.

The goals of a climate change policy should be to protect forest resources against the detrimental impacts of the climate crisis, to identify and harness and the enormous potential of Washington’s state forests to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon, and to explore gaining value from these natural climate solutions.

As stated in the June 2019 request to the Board, a holistic policy would:
•	Specifically address the significant dangers climate change poses to the forests that DNR manages
•	Consider the possible contributions those forests could make to carbon sequestration
•	Capture the novel opportunities carbon payments could create for the residents who benefit from state forestlands

Climate change will be the dominant force shaping the state’s resources for our foreseeable future. By not explicitly accounting for climate risks or the mitigating potential of forest carbon sequestration in detail, the Board is failing to consider what is likely the most important aspect of long-term forest management, and effectively putting the future health and productivity of these forests at risk.

The Policy for Sustainable Forests mentions “climate change” and “carbon” just once each, and both only in passing. The agency needs clear and explicit direction on how to manage public forests to account for and address the implications of climate change. Understanding of carbon and climate science has grown dramatically the 14 years that have passed since the adoption of the Policy for Sustainable Forests in 2006. The current reality and urgency of the climate crisis demands fast and effective adoption of an entirely different policy that specifically focuses on climate challenges and carbon opportunities in Washington’s publicly managed forests to fill this vital gap in management guidance.

This Board oversees management of forestland with a globally significant carbon sequestration potential. This incredible responsibility cannot be taken lightly. The decisions you make today on whether or not to address climate change will significantly impact the resilience of the trusts and Washington’s forests and communities for generations. Please work to develop and adopt a forest carbon and climate policy for DNR-managed lands with the urgency and strong leadership that the threat of climate change demands.

Regards, Your Name

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