Forestry pollution

Forestry and water quality

Forest landowners and the timber industry are important partners to ensure forest practices protect clean and cool water throughout Washington. Activities like timber harvesting, road work, and chemical application, can change habitat and lead to temperature, sediment, and nutrient pollution. High water temperature, muddy water, and unhealthy nutrient levels can harm important species like salmon, and can make the water unuseable for recreation and drinking.

Best management practices (BMPs) for tree harvesting and road construction help prevent runoff, reduce sediment, and maintain cool, shaded streams for fish and other species.

The 1999 Forests and Fish Agreement

Through the landmark Forest and Fish agreement in 1999, the timber industry, Tribes, environmental organizations, and agencies agreed to work together to address nonpoint pollution associated with forestry activities. The foundation to that work is a set of BMPs within the Forest Practices Rules that provide standards to preserve adjacent and in-stream habitat and ensure proper construction of forest roads. These rules are designed to protect water quality and habitat, and provide an Adaptive Management Program to scientifically assess the effectiveness of the rules and update BMPs as needed.

What is our role?

We help ensure that the Forest Practices Rules are effective in protecting water quality and meet federal and state water quality standards. These rules help protect streams, wetlands, and other bodies of water and vital fish habitat.

• The Adaptive Management Program is a multi-caucus program that includes representatives from state and local agencies, forest landowners, environmental organizations, and Tribes. This program was created to provide science-based recommendations and technical information to assist the Forest Practices Board.  
  We contribute to the two program committees:  
  • Timber, Fish and Wildlife Policy Committee (Policy)  
  • Cooperative, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Committee (CMER) 
• We assist with DNR’s Forest Practices Compliance Monitoring Program that evaluates whether timber harvest and forest road construction are in compliance with the Forest Practices Rules. The program publishes a statistical study of post-harvest evaluations every two years and reports results directly to the public and the Forest Practices Board.
• Our field inspectors provide technical assistance to forest landowners and other agencies to help ensure the forest practices rules are followed. Contact your local regional office for more information or questions. 

Landowner Resources