On August 26, 2025 C.E., Washington State Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove signed an order placing 77,000 acres of older, ecologically rich state forest permanently off-limits to logging. Officials at the Department of Natural Resources are calling it the most significant forest conservation decision the state has made in a generation — and scientists say the timing could not be more important.
At a glance
- Legacy forests: A new scientific inventory identified 106,000 acres of high-value older forest on state timber lands; 77,000 of those acres — effectively all remaining older forest on state-managed land — are now permanently protected.
- Timber revenue: About 29,000 acres within the broader inventory will remain available for sustainable harvest, and the DNR projects that revenue for public schools and other trust beneficiaries will hold steady over the next decade.
- Carbon credits: Commissioner Upthegrove has directed the agency to explore ecosystem-service funding, including carbon credit sales from protected stands, as a new long-term revenue stream.
What makes these forests worth protecting
Legacy forests are not technically old-growth. They haven’t reached the centuries-long age of Washington’s most ancient stands. But they occupy a critical middle ground that ecologists say is irreplaceable.
A team of scientists and forest ecologists assembled a new inventory of these trees, cataloging their biodiversity, carbon density, and structural complexity. Research published across multiple ecology journals has consistently found that older, structurally complex forests store disproportionately more carbon than younger managed stands — making their conservation one of the higher-leverage climate actions available at the state level. These forests also provide habitat corridors for wildlife species that struggle to survive in fragmented landscapes.
The DNR’s Forest Forward initiative framed these stands as climate assets: absorbing and storing carbon at a scale that intensively managed younger forests simply cannot match. The 77,000 acres selected represent the most ecologically significant portion of the 106,000-acre inventory.
Balancing conservation against fiscal reality
Washington’s state timber lands exist, legally, to generate revenue for public schools and other trust beneficiaries. That obligation has long created friction with conservation goals. This order tries to resolve it rather than sidestep it.
The 29,000 acres still available for harvest are expected to keep revenue projections stable over the coming decade. Meanwhile, the state is actively developing income streams tied to ecological value rather than board-feet. Carbon credit markets are the most immediate target. If those markets deliver, the protected acres could generate revenue precisely because they are left standing.
That funding model remains unproven at this scale, and some environmental advocates say the protections don’t go far enough. The Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, which organized tree-sit protests that helped push the issue into public view, has called for stronger protections across a wider footprint. That tension is real, and the long-term viability of ecosystem-service revenue will need to be demonstrated over years, not months.
A conservation order built by public pressure
This decision did not emerge from quiet bureaucratic deliberation alone. Sustained activism — including high-profile tree-sits in contested stands — generated public attention and political pressure over several years before the order was signed.
The DNR’s response is a clear example of how sustained civic engagement can shift institutional policy on a concrete timeline. States across the Pacific Northwest are increasingly exploring non-timber revenue as climate commitments and fiscal pressures converge. Oregon Capital Chronicle reporting on regional forest economics has noted that pattern accelerating in recent years.
Federal programs supporting nature-based climate solutions, including pathways tracked by the U.S. Forest Service, may offer additional funding options as Washington builds out its ecosystem-services framework. Other states and countries are already watching to see whether Washington’s model — anchored in scientific inventory, balanced against real fiscal obligations, and responsive to public demand — can be replicated.
Forests as the old-growth of tomorrow
If left undisturbed, some of these stands could reach old-growth characteristics within decades rather than centuries. That prospect is part of what makes the permanence of this order meaningful. Temporary deferrals have come and gone before; a permanent designation changes the calculus for agencies, communities, and timber interests alike.
Washington’s decision reflects a broader shift in how public natural assets are being valued — not just for what they yield when extracted, but for what they provide when left intact. Carbon storage, wildlife habitat, wildfire resilience, and water quality are all services these forests perform continuously. The challenge now is building the financial architecture that makes that value legible to the budget process.
For readers interested in similar conservation milestones at sea, the recent marine protected area established off Ghana’s Cape Three Points offers a parallel story of public lands set aside for long-term ecological benefit. And the Good News for Humankind archive on conservation tracks many more moments like this one.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Good News Network
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Ghana establishes a marine protected area at Cape Three Points
- Alzheimer’s risk cut in half by drug in landmark prevention trial
- The Good News for Humankind archive on conservation
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