FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 55

                                  C 159 L 87

BYHouse Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Sutherland, B. Williams, Peery, Holm, Hargrove, Vekich, Cooper, Sayan, Basich, Fisch, Baugher and Kremen)

Modifying the determinations of sustainable harvest.

House Committe on Natural Resources

Senate Committee on Natural Resources

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages 2.1 million acres of timberland for trusts created at statehood.  DNR sells timber from these lands on a sustainable harvest basis (a sales level that could be sustained in perpetuity).  State managed trust lands provide funds for construction of school buildings, university construction, the capitol campus, social and health services and for county operations.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, purchasers bid very high prices for DNR timber.  Subsequently, a slowdown in the housing market caused a reduction in lumber prices, and many of the contract purchasers defaulted on their contracts.  The quantity of timber covered by defaulted contracts amounted to over 1.1 billion board feet.

During the early 1980s, DNR chose not to sell a portion of its planned timber sales due to low bid prices.  The quantity deferred from sales amounted to 0.6 billion board feet.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Natural Resources is directed to calculate a sustainable harvest level.  It will also calculate a timber sale arrearage, defined as the total of any defaulted timber sales volume plus the difference between actual and planned timber sales volume in the previous planning decade.  If an arrearage exists at the beginning of any planning decade, the department will evaluate whether or not it is in the best interest of the trusts to sell the arrearage from the previous decade in addition to the regularly scheduled timber sales volume for the upcoming decade.  In its evaluation, the department will consider existing and forecast economic factors as well as environmental impacts associated with selling the arrearage.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 93   2

      Senate    49     0

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987