teanaway community forest
The Teanaway Community Forest, Washington’s first Community Forest, is a model designed to empower communities to partner with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to purchase forests that support local economies and public recreation. The forest is managed through a partnership between DNR and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with input from the local community and interested stakeholders.
Working with DNR and WDFW, Forterra facilitated the purchase of 50,272 acres in the headwaters of the Yakima Basin watershed that are being designated as the Teanaway Community Forest. The Teanaway acquisition is the largest single land transaction in Washington State in 45 years and reflects more than a decade of collaboration involving many organizations and individuals.
The property is a key step in implementing the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, an initiative developed by a coalition of public and private organizations to safeguard the basin’s water supply, restore fisheries, conserve habitat, preserve working lands, and enhance recreational opportunities.
teanaway forest project phases
For more than a decade, Forterra worked with the landowner to negotiate a purchase and structure the sale. The Yakima Basin coalition advocated the importance of the acquisition to the state Legislature. Forterra and the landowner signed a sale agreement in April, which Forterra assigned to DNR after state lawmakers appropriated $87 million for the purchase in the 2013-15 State Capital Budget. DNR supplemented that amount with a $10 million loan from its Real Property Replacement Account.
Today, the Teanaway property is a working forest and remains so with availability to the public for multiple uses. Local community and outdoor recreational enthusiasts from across the state frequent the area to enjoy the Teanaway’s recreational opportunities and diverse ecology. The forest features habitat for fish, including steelhead and Chinook, bull trout, deer, elk, and other large predators.Â
overview
The Teanaway Community Forest, Washington’s first Community Forest, is a model designed to empower communities to partner with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to purchase forests that support local economies and public recreation.
program
- Conservation And Land Stewardship
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