In “102-acre King County timber sale paused as politicians air climate concerns” [July 29, Local News], the reporter discusses mature forests however doesn’t outline them.
Mature “legacy forests” are utterly completely different from the tree plantations that blanket most of Western Washington. Plantations are younger, homogenous, with timber tightly packed collectively, missing the complexity and variety of mature forests, whereas legacy forests are biodiverse and nicely on their option to turning into totally functioning old-growth forests.
The Wishbone timber sale incorporates structural complexity, that means it has a mixture of tree sorts, ages and sizes, in addition to snags and downed woody particles that is essential for wildlife habitat. State lands must be managed for biodiversity, habitat, recreation, carbon storage and the various different advantages our state lands present along with timber income.
Simply final summer time, the state Supreme Courtroom dominated that the state can handle the forests for myriad advantages. State leaders have to heed the courtroom.
Daniel Erickson, Seattle
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