For more information: Rob McKenna (206) 587-8949 (pager)
                                Larry Phillips (206) 296-1004

The Metropolitan King County Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee has approved, and passed on to the full council, a motion acknowledging the benefits that the acquisition of over 100,000 acres of forestland known as the “Snoqualmie Forest” will provide to county residents. The transaction between Evergreen Forest Trust (EFT) and Weyerhaeuser preserves an area twice the size of the city of Seattle while continuing to provide jobs and generate tax revenue from property taxes and timber sales.

The motion states the Evergreen Forest Trust is cooperating with the county in its efforts to achieve the land use and forest objectives that are part of the project; that limited sustainable harvesting of timber is necessary in reaching these objectives; and the EFT’s acquisition, management and use of the Snoqualmie Forest will lessen the burdens of King County government.

“We are working to ensure this tremendous opportunity is completed,” said King County Councilmember Rob McKenna, a co-founder and board member of the Evergreen Forest Trust.

The motion documents the transaction’s public benefits to King County, upon which the IRS will base its approval of the use of tax-exempt bonds for acquisition of the 100,000 acres. Tax-exempt financing is only available under federal tax law for projects which provide substantial public benefits.

Specifically, EFT will maintain the Snoqualmie Forest in its present undeveloped condition, and continue to foster forest management practices that conserve and enhance fish and wildlife habitats, as well as protecting water quality, and recreational and educational opportunities. EFT’s proposed use and management of the Snoqualmie Forest is consistent with King County’s comprehensive plan and will further protect the numerous endangered species afforded such protection under state law and the Endangered Species Act.

“The Evergreen Forest has the potential to be a nationwide model for conservation and management of working forests,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee and also a co-founder and board member of EFT. “There are tremendous development pressures on forest land in King County. Yet residents treasure the beauty and recreational opportunities in the Cascade foothills. The Evergreen Forest model is a way to manage urban sprawl, protect the forests without costing taxpayers a dime. It is a new way of doing business.”