Tahuya Legacy Forest
The Tahuya Peninsula contains some of the largest continuous lowland forest remaining in the Puget Sound region. One of the most important stretches is an area of timberland owned by Pope Resources that connects Green Mountain State Forest in Kitsap County to Tahuya State Forest in Mason County. This critical north-south wildlife corridor was under threat of development, so Great Peninsula Conservancy and our partners joined together in a five-year campaign to protect this significant forest landscape.
In 2009, these efforts finally paid off when Pope Resources agreed to sell the development rights on 2,100 acres of its timberland to the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) through a permanent conservation easement. Forterra played a key role in facilitating negotiations between Pope Resources and the DNR, and the federal Forest Legacy Program provided $3.3 million to enable the DNR to purchase the conservation easement.
The conservation easement ensures that the land will remain a working forest forever. Pope Resources retains the right to harvest timber on the land, while protecting sensitive habitats like streams and wetlands. Maintaining this 2,100 acres as forest land will ensure it continues to provide valuable habitat for wildlife, protect water quality in nearby salmon streams and Hood Canal, and provide forest products and jobs for future generation.
Project Partners
Forest Legacy Program
Forterra
Pope Resources
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
