The state Board of Natural Resources approved a land exchange Feb. 5, preparing two Clallam County parcels for auction while adding land in Skagit County to the Common School Trust.

One of the Clallam County properties to be auctioned is a 7.2-acre tract near Dungeness just north of Sequim. The land is undeveloped and mostly pasture, officials with the Department of Natural Resources said. The property is not currently leased and produces no trust revenue.

The other Clallam County parcel is a 67.6-acre tract of forested land just southwest of Port Angeles along Fors Road, which is not currently leased.

The auction for both properties is tentatively scheduled for March 27 in Port Angeles.

As part of the land exchange, the Common School Trust will gain a 57.5 percent interest in the 368-acre Briarwood parcel southeast of Mount Vernon in Skagit County. State officials intend to eventually make all of the Briarwood parcel part of the Common School Trust through future land exchanges, which must be performed at a dollar-for-dollar value.

State officials say the transaction has a pair of benefits: The exchange will broaden the Clallam County tax base by putting both properties into private ownership, and ensure that the Skagit County property’s future revenues go to support K-12 education projects across the state.

Revenue from the properties being auctioned off will be used to purchase replacement trust lands in the state that have a greater potential to generate revenue or appreciate in value.

“With this transaction, we continue to support public education while strengthening communities and conserving working forestland,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said.