| Private
Forest Landowners Face Public Access Issues
Simpson Resources Company
It’s
springtime in the forest. The birds are chirping, a pileated
woodpecker raps its mating song, dew glistens on the blooming
serviceberry…right next to that big, ugly pile of garbage
left by an anonymous source.
It’s
no wonder more and more forestland owners in Washington State
are locking their lands and posting No Trespassing signs.
Illegal
dumping is just one of the many woes facing public and private
forestland owners. While it’s probably the most unsightly
and the most likely, forestland owners report a wide variety
of other activities, such as stealing both major and secondary
forest products, including cedar and maple blocks; floral
greens, moss and cascara; and boughs. Vandalism is a continual
worry, as both equipment and the roads they’re transported
on are expensive to repair. Environmental damage, from elk
poaching to illegal woodcutting and from quads in streams
to motorcycle trails in newly reforested plantations, threatens
companies’ compliance with state forest practice rules
and federal Habitat Conservation Plans.
Forestland
owners have employed a number of solutions to these challenges.
More and more gates have sprung up in areas that traditionally
had unlimited access. Fee access programs have been employed
by some forestland owners, while other owners completely ban
motorized traffic. Security personnel have been beefed up;
while expensive, this tactic has had limited success. Large
forestland owners and small have struggled with this problem
and will continue to do so as the population in Washington
burgeons.
Simpson
Resource Company, whose Washington tree farm is situated between
Puget Sound and the ocean beaches, has also struggled with
public access issues over the years. With public roads crisscrossing
its ownership and its proximity to some of the most spectacular
outdoor recreation spots in the state, public use of this
privately held forestland could easily get out of hand.
Gates
have been employed on the tree farm where public access has
been abused. With so many public roads throughout the tree
farm, locking up the land base completely would be difficult.
Company officials took the view that locking up everything
would result in locking out the law-abiding citizens, while
trespassers would continue to find their way in. Instead,
the company put together its first ever public access policy,
and pledged to work with user groups to continue to find positive
ways to allow access. For example, the Puget Sound Enduro-Riders,
an off-road motorcycle club, runs two races annually on Simpson
land. The club’s trail network ran through sensitive
areas and threatened to negatively impact water quality. The
company could have shut Puget Sound Enduro-Riders down and
banned future events from its lands. “That would have
the effect of getting rid of the good guys while the abusers
were still riding these trails, creating more and bigger environmental
problems,” said Patti Case, public affairs manager.
Instead, the company is now working with the club to close
some of the sensitive stretches of trail and rework other
areas to higher standards. In exchange, the club continues
to hold its events, and has also volunteered to clean up garbage
on Simpson lands, along with the Back Country Horsemen and
other volunteer groups. “These aren’t the people
who are illegally dumping,” said Case, “but they
are people whose outdoor experience is impacted by it. They
have been very willing to help with cleanup on Simpson lands.”
Simpson
is currently working on improving its signage throughout its
forestlands to ensure understanding of public access policy.
“People must understand that entering an active harvest
area is prohibited,” said Case. It is extremely dangerous,
yet we have had abuse of this simple policy.” Typically,
she explained, this happens because the offenders “didn’t
see” the signs. “We’re hoping that by adding
pictures and symbols and by color coding our signs, we’ll
be more successful in keeping people out of areas that are
unsafe,” said Case.
Some areas
of private forestland in Washington State, traditionally open
for hunting and other recreation, have been closed off in
recent years to protect wildlife populations. At Simpson,
these closures have been undertaken in cooperation with the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the US Fish and
Wildlife Service, and private groups such as the Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation. Often, these areas are available for walk-in
access, but motorized vehicles are prohibited.
Clearly,
the issues surrounding public use of private land are legion.
Some private landowners consider the public relations advantages
of maintaining at least limited access are worth the challenges
they contend with. For user groups, seeking partnerships with
those landowners may be the key to continued access.
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