Streams that wind through Western Washington’s forests are essential habitat for frogs, bugs, and lots of other tiny critters. These streams are also a critical source of clean, cool water downstream. This means these streams are an important part of large watershed ecosystems. For the past 26 years, the timber industry, tribes, environmental organizations and Washington state agencies have worked together to address pollution and meet water quality standards through the “Forests and Fish Agreement.” The agreement aims to address pollution that can come from forestry activities like logging and forest road construction and maintenance, while maintaining both a viable timber industry and water quality.
This coordination primarily happens through the Forest Practices Board, an independent state agency chaired by the elected Commissioner of Public Lands. Rules adopted by the board are implemented and enforced by Washington’s Department of Natural Resources.
One of the key components of the Forests and Fish Agreement is the Adaptive Management Program, which the board oversees. Essentially, “adaptive management” is simply a commitment to learning by doing. The Forest Practices Board evaluates how the current forest practices rules are doing, and if the science shows that they are not protective of the environment, then the Board gradually adapts the rules to better protect the environment…