Protect the Upper Rutsatz Forest
Event Details
Time: August 11, 2025 to August 22, 2025
Location: Online
Website or Map: https://www.re-sources.org/in…
Event Type: petition
Organized By: Re Sources for Sustainable Communities
Latest Activity: Aug 11
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Event Description
In 2021, the Center for Responsible Forestry (CRF) raised the alarm on the plans to auction a state timber sale known as Upper Rutsatz Sorts. The sale consisted of two units totalling 99 acres, with roughly 90 acres including naturally regenerated 130 year-old forest, old growth forest remnants, and hundreds of trees over four feet in diameter— some reaching eight feet in diameter! Sitting high on the steep slopes above the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork Nooksack Rivers, the Upper Rutsatz area contains a significant portion of the remaining unprotected older, structurally complex forest in Whatcom County.
From RE Sources website:
"RE Sources, CRF, and state partners worked with Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) to provide counties the option to get a portion of their replacement value in cash up front, in addition to replacement lands that grow the total number of acres managed in trust for beneficiaries. We advocated for this small but mighty change to account for the unique experience of trust beneficiaries like Mount Baker School district, who have critical short term financial needs to address while the benefits of the expanded trust lands accrue longer term. This added flexibility in replacement revenues allows counties to choose what best meets the needs of their trust beneficiaries as they invest in the long term resilience of their region as a whole."
RE Sources has a petition you can sign - Urge Whatcom County to permanently protect Upper Rutsatz as part of the 2025 CCA-funded forest conservation efforts!
Check out this excellent, informative video from the Center for Responsible Forestry.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by David MacLeod on August 5, 2025 at 5:12pm
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Thank you for the comment Paul. Revenue for the Mount Baker School District is important, as well as jobs for local residents.
According to the extensive information provided on the RE Sources website, this is an opportunity for a "Win-Win."
"There’s something exciting and new in the budget language this year: RE Sources, CRF, and state partners worked with Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) to provide counties the option to get a portion of their replacement value in cash up front, in addition to replacement lands that grow the total number of acres managed in trust for beneficiaries. We advocated for this small but mighty change to account for the unique experience of trust beneficiaries like Mount Baker School district, who have critical short term financial needs to address while the benefits of the expanded trust lands accrue longer term. This added flexibility in replacement revenues allows counties to choose what best meets the needs of their trust beneficiaries as they invest in the long term resilience of their region as a whole.
A Win-Win Outcome: Let’s finish what we started, and protect Upper Rutsatz for good! The 2025 CCA conservation funding opportunity is a truly win-win-win solution that honors multiple years of work to build public support for mature forest conservation, recognize the short and long term resource needs within our county, and improve outcomes in all areas of our community’s shared future together."
Here is a 10 minute video:
Upper Rutsatz Forest - 2025 CCA conservation funding presentation
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Comment by Paul Campbell on August 5, 2025 at 3:00pm
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Approximately 250 acres were considered for this proposal; this has been reduced to 88.9 net acres of VRH; due to riparian
management zones, sensitive slopes above typed waters and public resources, adjacent WDFW listed eagle habitat, and
patches of larger conifers retained under DNR retention tree policy.These types of sales provide revenue Mount Baker School district and jobs for local residents.
Perhaps, there is room for compromise on this revised project.
© 2025 Created by David MacLeod.
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