“These lands don’t belong to industry. They belong to we, the people. My job is to sort out what’s in the public interest.”
“We need to fully fund our public schools and not pit kids against trees.”
“Without the funding restored, we’re going to see more fires and bigger fires.”
Those quotes from Washington Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove this week during his interview with host Austin Jenkins on Inside Olympia.
Upthegrove defended his January first-day-in-office decision to pause some timber sales and push for 2026 legislation to diversify revenue from state trust lands, saying the state can “do more for climate and habitat while providing stability.” In August Upthegrove followed up, directing that 77,000 acres be preserved while about 29,000 acres could still be logged — a balance he said would limit short-term revenue losses while allowing new approaches.
The pause has drawn criticism from both sides. Some say it threatens jobs and school funding, while others argue it doesn’t go far enough to protect forests. Upthegrove said more than 90% of state-managed forest is unaffected and 70% of the state’s wood supply comes from private land — and that new revenue tools, such as carbon markets and ecological thinning, could help sustain rural economies.
Upthegrove said he will also urge lawmakers to restore wildfire-prevention funding that was cut from $125 million to $60 million per biennium, warning that prevention is cheaper than suppression. Fighting two major wildfires this fall alone costs the state about $500,000 per day. “We’re like an emergency room,” Upthegrove said. “We put it out no matter what.”