By Emma Maple

PORT ANGELES — Last year’s timber revenue report shows Clallam County’s timber income was on par with its 10-year average, while Jefferson County’s was significantly lower.

However, Jefferson County commissioners noted that timber revenue fluctuates dramatically year-over-year, and 2024’s lower income was not unusual.

“Natural fluctuations in revenue occur annually,” Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Communications Manager Ryan Rodruck said.

In 2024, Jefferson County received about $951,000 in timber revenue, while its ten-year average is about $2.02 million.

There are several reasons that could explain Jefferson County’s slightly decreased revenue.

First, the value of the harvest fluctuates by the size and mix of species that are cut in the timber harvest, Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said. Additionally, how much timber the purchaser actually removes during the fiscal year influences how much revenue is generated, Rodruck said.

“Timber revenue fluctuates pretty dramatically based on harvests in each county for each year,” Eisenhour added, noting that less timber was harvested in Jefferson County last year when compared to 2023.

One of the factors that could lead to less harvest is activist opposition that influences the DNR to pause a harvest. Currently, a few units across timber sales are on pause due to legal challenges the sales are undergoing.

In 2024, Clallam County received around $6.2 million in timber revenue. Its ten-year average is about $6.25 million.

The amount of timber harvested last year was lower than Clallam’s 10-year average, Rodruck said, but the high value of the trees removed evened out the revenue distributed to the county.

Despite a myriad of legal challenges to Clallam County timber sales, revenue did not appear to suffer an impact. Connie Beauvais, chair of the county Revenue Advisory Committee, said this was likely due to the efforts of previous Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who worked hard to meet the goal set for Clallam County.

Junior taxing districts

Most of the money collected by the DNR for the timber harvest is distributed to the county of origin.

Because of timber fluctuations, Jefferson County Commissioner Greg Brotherton said the county will budget for the revenue but has learned not to depend on it.

Much of the timber revenue also gets redistributed to junior taxing districts. Although junior taxing districts often rely on that money for capital projects, improvements and more, Eisenhour said they have become used to the fluctuations in timber revenue and some either don’t budget that income or budget low amounts.

Some, however, rely on those funds and struggle when revenue is decreased.

“I have heard concern from smaller fire districts and schools that the fluctuation in revenues is a budgeting challenge,” Brotherton said.

2025 timber revenue

Currently, Jefferson County has two timber sales whose contracts have not ended. The timber’s net estimated remaining value to be distributed to the county is about $24,300.

Clallam County has 31 sales under contract, with the net estimated remaining value of those sales at about $12.3 million. This revenue could be distributed over a number of years.

More sales could be approved by the Board of Natural Resources and auctioned off this year. However, in January, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove implemented a six-month pause on timber harvests in certain structurally-complex mature forests.

The pause will affect eight sales in Clallam County, but none in Jefferson County.

Based on appraised values, this pause will delay the distribution of over $6.4 million to Clallam’s junior taxing districts — hospitals, fire districts, ports, schools and more — according to an analysis by local retired politician Jim Buck.

To make up for that delayed revenue, Rodruck said the DNR is looking for alternative funding sources, reconfiguring sales to allow them to be brought forward without the mature forest plots and moving forward some sales that had been slated for future harvest.