WASHINGTON, September 28, 2026 – Standing before reporters in Olympia late this September, Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove delivered a recalibrated vision for the state’s oldest trees.
The first-term chief of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced he has reduced his commitment to the protection of old state forests by quite a margin. Rather than the former 77,000 acres, the official map and reports will target 55,000 acres through a moratorium until 2030.
Why the change of mind of 22,000 acres all of a sudden?
The reason, according to the agency’s mapping analysis, is that many of the land plots considered in the first 77,000 acres have turned out to be very small land plots of one acre or even less.
“I know there are those who are upset that we haven’t moved fast enough, or that I’ve had to adjust my plans,” Upthegrove admitted during the press briefing.
With existing administrative holds in place, the new 55,000 acres will be exempt from timber harvests through at least 2030. However, continuing to protect these stands in the long term poses a complex legislative equation.
The Constitution of the state of Washington makes it clear that all the land managed by the DNR is required to be used to generate money that will help in the construction of schools and county services. As soon as logging activities cease, the beneficiaries of the trust will not receive any money.
This situation will require Upthegrove to appeal directly to the Washington State Legislature and request that it grant more statutory powers to DNR along with creative sources of money. It is necessary to look for alternative sources of funding that could keep old-growth forests safe until 2030.
Adding to the policy problem is the internal financial struggle of the agency. This involves one of the important accounts of the DNR that supports the basic operation of the forest, which had been forecasted to be in deficit.
“The real challenge is that the status quo business of forestry in Washington has been leading us towards financial crisis for over a decade,” Upthegrove warned.
Not surprisingly, the shift caused tensions in the environmental community. Those community leaders who were galvanized by campaign pledges feel that the agency is shifting the blame on legislators.
According to leaders from the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, “having campaigned on the need for radical change in the agency, the administration now states that systemic change lies entirely with the state legislature.”
While it is true that it takes some time to change the management system set in 1889, whether or not the legislature grants the necessary powers when the new session meets in Olympia next year is still uncertain.
For the time being, the legacy forest of Washington has gained six years. But after 2030? Who knows?
