The Seattle Audubon Society has long been dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and wise management of the habitats that support and nurture the birds of Washington State. The forests of Washington and the Pacific Northwest support many of the hundreds of species of avian life that inhabit our region.



Forested lands in Washington cover more than half of the 42.5 million acres of total land in the state. Ownership of those acres is divided as follows: 10.1 million acres is managed by the federal government, 4.8 million acres are privately held, 2.4 million acres are managed by the state government, 2 million acres are owned by the Native American tribes of Washington, and county and local governments manage 200,000 acres of forested land. Seattle Audubon works with government agencies and decision makers, private industry, the tribes of Washington and others to ensure the use of wise and sustainable management practices to preserve the region's ecosystems.

The forests of Washington State comprise some of the most magnificent boreal ecosystems of this continent. There is an astounding diversity of habitat created by the varied topography of the state and Washington's unique location at the western continental edge of North America. From the Western Tanagers, Calliope Hummingbirds and Blue Grouse of the Wenas Valley to the Northern Spotted Owls, Vaux's Swifts, Red Crossbills and Marbled Murrelets of the Olympic Peninsula to the Bald Eagles, Northern Goshawks and Pileated Woodpeckers of the Cascades, Washington hosts an enormous variety of bird species.

Many populations of these species and others are declining due to increased pressures exerted upon them through habitat loss, pollution, development, urban sprawl and numerous other sources. The Seattle Audubon Society continues to advocate for the preservation of forest habitat throughout the region to protect bird species, and these efforts are becoming increasingly important as habitat disappears and as ecosystems and forests are fragmented by irresponsible logging techniques. Join us in one of our many efforts to protect the awe-inspiring and critical forests that remain in the Pacific Northwest!

What are Washington State's Trust Forestlands?

When Washington became the 42nd state in 1889, Congress granted the state over 5 million acres of forest, prairies, grasslands, wetlands and navigable waterways. These lands and others acquired since that time were placed in trust to be managed in-perpetuity for the benefit of all Washingtonians, present and future alike. In 1957, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was formed and named trust manager of the 1.4 million state trust forestlands on the west side of the Cascade Crest.

What is the Sustainable Harvest Calculation?

Roughly every ten years, DNR recalculates the harvest level (or cut level) for the 1.4 million acres of state trust forestlands in western Washington. DNR analyzes the different environmental, economic and social impacts associated with forest management practices and must choose a stewardship alternative that balance all three. The process typically takes about two years and includes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), technical reviews and a public input process.

Why does Seattle Audubon care?

State trust forests cover an enormous portion of the land of this state. These forests provide critical habitat for a wide variety of birds, including threatened species such as the Northern Goshawk, Northern Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet. Although the great majority of these lands are working forests - in that they are used for timber production - it is critical that the logging on these lands be completed in a long-term sustainable manner that not only provides funding in perpetuity for school construction, but also protects the birds and other wildlife species inhabiting these lands. Seattle Audubon has been involved with this process for approximently two years now and will continue to track this issue into the future.