MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - The state Legislature is considering allowing logging in a northern Washington state forest that includes several popular recreation areas.
The Skagit Valley Herald reported Thursday (https://bit.ly/2jd0ml8 ) that the Legislature’s budget decisions this spring will determine whether recreation areas in central Blanchard State Forest will remain free of logging. The state Department of Natural Resources is requesting $7.7 million to keep that agreement in place.
Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed giving Natural Resources $1.5 million toward the Blanchard Forest Strategy agreement.
Natural Resources officials say those funds would go toward fulfilling a long-standing agreement with Skagit County and other stakeholders, but it wouldn’t prevent the agency from having to log the forest.
___
Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, https://www.skagitvalleyherald.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.