County officials press DNR for timeline after commissioner’s order and sale pauses; DNR says most paused sales will be scheduled

Clallam County elected and appointed officials pressed Washington Department of Natural Resources staff for a clear timeline and acreage accounting after a commissioner’s order asked the agency to identify about 77,000 acres for alternative income-producing strategies.
Why it matters: county and junior taxing districts told DNR staff they expect timber-sale receipts in local budgets and said delays have already constrained school and fire-district planning.
County officials and fire commissioners said they believe the pause on some sales has caused measurable revenue loss and asked how quickly paused sales would move to market once work resumes. Multiple local officials described projects and debt-service schedules that were budgeted with expected timber receipts.
DNR staff responded that the commissioner’s order directs the department to identify roughly 77,000 acres (including an estimated 10,300 acres of older forest) and to develop strategies to produce income from those lands other than conventional variable-retention harvesting, but that the order itself directs identification and strategy development rather than an immediate set-aside. DNR staff emphasized that the maps and acreage tallies are evolving and remain subject to field verification and further refinement.
On paused sales, DNR staff said the pause that applied to structurally complex forest stands has been lifted and that the region is reintroducing paused sales into its plan. Staff said two sales in Clallam County remain paused for reasons tied to specific watershed and legal work rather than the structural-complexity pause. Staff said the region will sequence the return of paused sales so as not to “flood the market” and risk poor pricing.
Officials asked for and were promised more-detailed, distribution-ready information. Region staff said they would add paused sales to the next revenue report, that an updated sales-and-revenue spreadsheet would be circulated to the county and junior taxing districts, and that the region expects to present at least one previously paused sale to the board soon.
County commenters repeatedly framed the situation as a trust and revenue issue. One county representative argued the pause may be inconsistent with the county’s 1935 trust agreement with the state and asked for a formal response to a county letter that had been sent to the land commissioner; DNR acknowledged receipt and said it would respond through usual channels. Fire commissioners and school representatives described near-term budget dependence on timber dollars and requested clearer dates for when revenue tied to previously scheduled sales would be realized.
DNR leadership present at the meeting, including Deputy Director for External Affairs Bud Sizemore, said department staff will continue consultation with trust beneficiaries, local governments and other stakeholders as the department develops strategies and implements the commissioner’s direction. DNR staff also said legislative direction from the most recent session and watershed evaluations had factored into some of the decisions about particular sales.
No legal action or formal policy change was taken at the meeting. County officials asked for the item to return on a future agenda so the group could consider next steps if DNR responses to county inquiries are not delivered on the timeline requested.