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Alan Bauer
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Alan Bauer
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PostThu Jan 17, 2002 10:48 am 
Indeed it is very interesting how the deal is structured. I have no problems having the area remain a working forest--it will benefit wildlife and water, and more so than Weyerhaeuser has provided corridors in the past. Hopefully they can get their status to issue the bonds to cover the costs for it from the IRS. What will be interesting also is to in time see how the roads are managed---will they keep the gates closed, or offer them to be open to public driving on certain days, all days, etc....

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Tsolo
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PostThu Jan 17, 2002 6:06 pm 
I'm personally all in favor of this, since it will eliminate the long-term risk of the North Fork valley someday turning into another Issaquah Plateau. Basically, the claim is that Weyerhaeuser now has 100% of the area in production, but that only 80% needs to be in production (with the other 20% reserved as environmentally sensitive areas) if only enough money needs to be made to pay off the bonds. I don't have any way of assessing whether that's a reasonable assumption, but it should be interesting to watch it all play out.

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Sore Feet
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PostFri Jan 18, 2002 12:33 am 
Definitely watching this closely. Now, if only they could get this settled by March... tongue.gif I say keep the tailgate hunters out (they've got the Tomtits already), but there would still be the hiking crowd (and with possible new routes up the west faces of Tenerife, Green, Bessemer, etc, it may be popular), Fisherpeople (we must be PC after all...) in the high lakes, and the North Fork is prime river for Kayakers, so I know it certainly won't get underused... Perhaps I should lay off the permit for this year.

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McPilchuck
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McPilchuck
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PostSat Jan 19, 2002 10:02 am 
I great idea as far as I am concerned, what a better way to keep the forest from being mowed down any further. I trust the new owners allow the forms of recreating that encompass all the outdoor sports, and don't shut it down as some kind of preserve.

in the granite high-wild alpine land . . . www.alpinequest.com
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polarbear
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PostSun Jan 20, 2002 9:49 pm 
Sounds interesting, but would anyone here invest in the bonds (assuming they were cheap enough to buy) that are paid off by the "sustainable logging"? I wonder who the experts will be that will manage the timber sales after Weyerhaeuser has left. To me if land is valuable enough to conserve, part of the plan should be to gradually turn it over to a Wilderness or National Forest designation. It seems like it could be mismanaged into 80 acre estates pretty easily. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

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Brian Curtis
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Brian Curtis
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PostMon Jan 21, 2002 10:30 am 
The timber production will be managed by the Campbell Group, a Portland-based timberland company that already controls 500,000 acres in Western Washington. http://www.campbellgroup.com/ It sounds like they are planning on managing the timber harvest carefully with stream buffers beyond what is required by state law. That is prime tree growing country. I like the idea that it will still be in production while being managed with a conservation ethic.

that elitist from silverdale wanted to tell me that all carnes are bad--Studebaker Hoch
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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostSun Jan 27, 2002 10:45 pm 
biggrin.gif great place to bike dog hike or whatever. I do not think very many people realize that there is the equivalt of a couple more Seattles up there. to tell the truth i would rather sacrifice it than keep cutting up higher. Flame suit on.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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polarbear
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PostSun Jan 27, 2002 10:55 pm 
Actually, the NFSnoq is not a place I'd ever want to live--not enough sunshine. It's fun to explore, but that's it. But I'm sure there's plenty of people that would buy up the land given the opportunity. I guess I'm more concerned about the NFS drainage itself than Wheyerhauser land west of it. I'd hate to see it sacrificed to 80 acre estates.

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Timber Cruiser
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PostTue Feb 05, 2002 1:26 pm 
I left town for a trip through China, Vietnam and Korea the day the story on the Snoqualmie Tree Farm Sale broke (managed to bag a hike down the Yangtse River through the Leaping Tiger Gorge). I wish I could respond to all the comments I found here about the sale, but I don't have much time and I can't type that fast. First of all, Weyerhaeuser has owned and managed the STF for over a hundred years, and you will be hard pressed to find a company or government entity that could equal them for the job they have done as stewards of that land. As stated in one your replys, this is very productive commercial forest land. Over the years they have spun off large blocks of land for other uses (Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Rattlesnake Ridge-Mountain to Sound Greenway, N. Fork Tolt Watershed, etc.). Very little of it has gone to development. When pressure from the public over the aesthetics of logging practices has occured, they have tried to design them to minimize such impact. But at some point it does not make economic sense to forego coverting to "higher and better use" when harvesting is restricted. Those of you that complain about suburban sprawl should first look in the mirror. If you live outside of the city limits, you are contributing to it. What right do you have to deny the next person the opportunity to buy cheap land and live in open space such as you once pursued? As I said, Weyerhaeuser has reduced the size of the tree farm over the years and retained the most productive, commercial portions of the land as a tree farm. Even after getting out of the high elevation, and sensitive watersheds, they are not able to operate on between 20 to 30% of their land base. A significant increase in these setasides occured after the "Forest and Fish" rules were adopted. This was an agreement largely brokered by Weyerhaeuser and other industrial owners as a trade-off for having some stability and certainty in the environmental regulations they would face over the many years it takes to realize a return on forestland investments (50 years). Contrary to the appearance that they have been mowing down the forests at a rate that cannot be sustained, the allowable harvest has always been based on biological capactiy and availability (after setasides). The SFT was just part of the Cascade Region managed under this scenario, so from year to year the balance of harvest may have been heavier in one tree farm versus the other. Certainly not the havest patterns of old when it followed the construction of railroads into an area and entire basins were logged at one time. One other comment on public access. Weyerhaeuser constricted it a number of years ago mainly due to public saftey and vandalism. A suburu wagon and a log truck are not a good mix out on narrow logging road with no shoulders. Weyerhaeuser was also incurring high costs to clean up illegal dumping and vandalism of epuipment. Road maintenance and clean water are also impacted by improper use of unimproved roads by the public. These are activities I hope the new owners and managers of the tree farm can handle as well as Weyerhaeuser did. If you want to experience overcrowding and serious environmental problems, visit one of the countries I just did. 85% of the population in China/Vietnam are subsistance farmers trying to make a living farming 5 acres or less. Their garbage and sewage goes into the same streams they wash their clothes, bathe or drink out of. The air is almost always a haze of smoke from heating fires or unregulated industry. The urban areas have populations in the millions, and the streets are choked with whatever mode of transportation they can afford. The number one reason for the degradation of the environment that I saw was the lack of private ownership. It's all controlled by the government, and with the lack of or distance from any regulations, it's first come first serve or every man for himself. I know it could never become as extreme as that in the U.S., but I think those of you that may be rejoicing at this change in ownership should know that you have lost what could have been the best neighbor you could have had.

"Logging encourages the maintenance of foilage by providing economic alternatives to development."
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