wa state dnr's community forest trust program
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Craig Partridge Policy and Government Relations Director
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Community Forest Trust Call for nominations
Community Forest Trust
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• Passed by 2011 Legislature as ESHB 1421 • Creates a discrete non-fiduciary forest land
trust with lands managed by DNR • Acquired lands can be private or state forest
trust lands • Lands acquired jointly with local partner
resources and state capital appropriations
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Overview
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• Emphasis on self-sustainable, active forest management
• Require a community working forest management plan
• Lands may be divested if they do not perform
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Overview continued…
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1. Working forest lands at significant risk of conversion protected
2. Financial and social viability through management objectives consistent with values of the local community
3. Lands maintained in a working status through diverse commodity and non-commodity values
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Minimum program management principles
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4. Generating revenue to, at a minimum, pay for management costs
5. Providing ongoing, sustainable public recreation access
6. Providing educational opportunities for local communities, including showing the benefits of working forests
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Minimum program management principles continued…
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• Acquisition through a variety of means (purchase, gift, donation, grant, transfer, etc.)
• Fee interest or partial fee interest, including conservation easements
• Local commitment of financial contribution to the specific community forest – at least 50% of the difference between parcel’s appraised fair market
value and parcel’s timber and forest land value – Local funding through any means deemed acceptable by DNR
(traditional financing/bonding, land donation, purchase of conservation easements or TDRs)
• Remaining funding by state capital appropriation
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Funding
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• All lands in CFT to be managed under a plan developed after acquisition
• Local advisory committee formed to advise DNR on how to maintain land’s working status and economic viability objectives
• Management activities must provide ongoing revenue – To reimburse DNR admin costs, and – To fund community conservation/recreation objectives
• If DNR and local advisory committee fail to reach consensus on plan, DNR can adopt a plan informed by the community, or divest in the property
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Legislation
Management plan
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Legislature did not appropriate $$ • To fund acquisition of community forest properties, or • To enable DNR to build the new program
Therefore, DNR is taking outreach-driven approach to program development
• Reach out to potential proponents • Solicit projects with strong community support • Select 1-2 pilot projects from nominations to propose for
FY 2013-15 capital budget funding • Use pilot projects to develop CFT program for future
program funding and implementation cycles
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Program Implementation
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• No resources to support development of program
• Unable to develop a full competitive process to evaluate proposals, conduct appraisals, etc.
• Rely on proponents with strong proposals to nominate candidate community forest pilot projects to launch program
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Program Implementation
What does this mean?
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1. Identify sources of funding for local share 2. Solidify broad local community support for CF
nomination 3. ID and secure broad community support for
management approaches for nominated CF 4. Submit written nomination detailing your proposed CF
using nomination template provided by DNR
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Call for nominations
What steps can local entities take to nominate a community forest?
DNR is seeking a community partnership.
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Local support for nominations is key land trusts local municipalities recreational user groups neighboring landowners conservation organizations local businesses elected officials
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust Call for nominations
Community partnerships that show broad community support will be strong candidates for pilot projects
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• Outreach to interested parties • Partnerships formed in community to support
CFT nomination • Nominations submitted to DNR • DNR reviews nominations and brings short list to
Board of Natural Resources for consideration • Proposal of 1-2 pilots forwarded to the Legislature
for funding
Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust What next?
The process
13 Community Forest Trust
Community Forest Trust What next?
Proposed Timeline March-April 2012 Outreach to potential community partners
July 2, 2012 Community Forest nominations due to DNR
July-August 2012 DNR reviews nominations and finalizes proposed list for consideration by Board of Natural Resources
September 2012 Board of Natural Resources selects pilot projects; DNR forwards capital budget proposal to OFM that includes a Community Forest Trust funding package
October 2012 – March 2013
DNR and community partners pursue support for funding of the CFT proposal in legislature
July 2013 Implementation of Community Forest Trust program pilots begin (if funded by legislature)
14 Community Forest Trust February 2012
Community Forest Trust
Questions?
Craig Partridge 360-902-1028
Andy Hayes 360-902-1347
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