The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state Department of Natural Resources can continue to harvest and sell timber from state-owned land, but that the DNR is not constitutionally obligated to harvest timber or maximize revenue on state-owned land.

Justice G. Helen Whitener wrote in the 8-0 majority opinion that while the use of logging revenue generated from public lands is constitutionally protected, it’s not the only way to manage public land for the benefit of “all people,” as required by the constitution.

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said the ruling gives her agency more leeway in managing the state’s three million of acres of state forest.

AWB had filed an amicus brief on behalf of DNR and our forestry members.

“We won pretty clearly,” said AWB Government Affairs Director Peter Godlewski. “The main issue was about logging trust lands to support the state. Some environmental groups had argued that DNR’s state trust mandate should be interpreted to mean no logging at all on public lands. This was hugely troubling and it's good the Supreme Court held up the longstanding interpretation of the state constitution in supporting schools and timber harvest.”

Contact Peter Godlewski for questions about environmental policy, or AWB General Counsel Bob Battles for questions about this case.