Land exchange boosts state land trust income, assets

Published 12:20 pm Thursday, March 20, 2014

On Sept. 3, the Board of Natural Resources authorized the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to exchange 5,073 acres of state trust land in Clallam and Grays Harbor counties for 9,117 acres of properties of equal value owned by Green Crow Timber, LLC and Green Crow Corporation in Clallam, Jefferson and Mason counties.

“This land exchange enables the Department of Natural Resources to consolidate land holdings, increasing efficiency and total acreage and, ultimately, provide greater support to state trust land beneficiaries,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, who chairs the Board of Natural Resources and leads DNR.

Known as the Foothills Land Exchange, the board’s action helps consolidate and protect more working forest lands from development along Hood Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, state officials said. The transaction also places more sections of the popular Olympic Discovery Trail under public ownership.

The Department of Natural Resources will manage the lands acquired in the exchange to produce sustainable revenue for the Common School Trust that funds public school construction statewide and the State Forest Transfer Trust to support services in Clallam County.