Deal ensures 90,000 acres in King County will stay wilderness

Seattle PI, Brad Wong September 3, 2004

More than 90,000 acres of timberland in eastern King County, almost twice the size of Seattle, have gained permanent protection from development in what officials yesterday hailed as a historic agreement for the region.

The deal with landowner Hancock Timber Resource Group calls for King County government to use $22 million to buy the development rights for the land.

That will keep houses and commercial structures from being built on the land, but it can continue to be logged.

The area, formerly called the Snoqualmie Tree Farm, stretches from Snoqualmie Falls to the Snohomish County line and is about 25 miles east of Duvall and Carnation, according to Hancock Timber, a Boston-based company.

"It will be here for as many generations as will be here," said King County Executive Ron Sims, who helped negotiate the deal.

"You will not see a fast-food neon sign up there. You will not see cul-de-sacs up there."

Sims called the agreement one of the largest forest-conservation deals in the country. The county is using the conservation futures tax, which is collected on all taxable property in the county and can be used only to buy open space and resource lands.

King County officials also worked on the deal, which Hancock initiated last year, with the Cascade Land Conservancy.

The Seattle conservation group and the Evergreen Forest Trust have long wanted to preserve the area known for its fir trees, rivers, trails, wildlife and lakes.

"This is a monumental event for the region," said Gene Duvernoy, president of Cascade Land Conservancy.

He said the deal protects wildlife habitat and headwaters to salmon streams and benefits the economy by safeguarding timber and mill-worker jobs.

"At about $245 per acre to buy this easement, it sounds like a prudent investment to me," he said.

Last year, Hancock bought the land from Weyerhaeuser Co. for $185 million after an Evergreen Forest Trust financing plan failed.

That agreement covered 104,000 acres. But this one excludes about 5 acres of timberland in Snohomish County and some areas in King County that have been designated as residential.

Larry Phillips, chairman of the King County Council, said his constituents want him to think regionally and that he suggested using the tax money to protect the property.

"Personally, I'm ecstatic," he said. "It satisfies so many objectives that we've wanted to accomplish for so long."

John Davis, western regional manager for Hancock, said his company is happy to be part of the agreement.

"We still have a forest there that is fully operable," said Davis, who is based in Vancouver, Wash.

For Hancock, he noted, the deal fits nicely with the company's business model and goal of helping its investors, including public and private pension funds.

Of the 104,000 acres bought last year, Davis said his company logs only a fraction of that each year. The private property also is open to bicyclists, hikers and equestrians.

Duvernoy said yesterday's announcement also is part of a regional effort to conserve 600,000 acres of foothills in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Yesterday's deal protects against development should Hancock sell the 90,000 acres to another company. While the contract has been signed, Duvernoy added, the deal technically closes within 90 days.

King County also announced yesterday that it would buy 150 acres of land near the Tolt River to protect habitat for chinook salmon.