The Cumulative Power of Small Acreage Management
by Carol Mack • WSU/Pend Oreille County Extension
Washington State has 215,000 families and individuals that control about five and a half million acres of non-industrial forestland, making this the largest rural land use group in the state. In Pend Oreille County, according to the 2007 Washington State Forestland Database, there are 5,450 parcels with 3,740 owners, totaling 111,447 acres. 80% of that acreage is forested. While two thirds of our county is in public ownership (see chart below), our small private forestlands are particularly significant because they occupy the most productive lower elevation sites in the county, and lie along much of the county’s shorelines. No matter how small our acreage or home site, how we manage these lands has an impact beyond our boundary lines. A property stewardship plan can help each of us clarify our own unique mix of goals and objectives, and set a timetable of activities to achieve them. As thousands of small acreage landowners put stewardship plans into action, the improvements in wildlife habitat, timber harvest, wildfire risk, water quality, recreation and other goals truly add up. This potential collective impact is proof that our individual actions can make a very important difference in the quality of world we pass on to future Pend Oreille County generations.
For more information on creating an informal stewardship plan, visit:
http://ext.wsu.edu/forestry/BackyardForestStewardshipinEasternWashington.htm
Land Ownership in Pend Oreille County
|
Ownership Category
|
Acreage in County | Percent of County | |
|
Federal Total
|
529,319 acres | 59.2% | |
|
US Forest Service
|
527,725 acres | 58.9% | |
|
Bureau of Land Management
|
1,594 acres | 0.2% | |
|
State of Washington
|
34,251 acres | 3.8% | |
|
County (including Port and PUD)
|
10,937 acres | 1.2% | |
|
Kalispel Tribe
|
6,040 acres | 0.7% | |
|
Incorporated Cities and Towns (including interim UGA)
|
5,159 acres | 0.6% | |
|
City of Seattle
|
859 acres | 0.1% | |
|
Private total
|
308,797 acres | 34.5% | |
|
Agricultural Open Space
|
28,280 acres | 3.1% | |
|
Designated Timber
|
223,341 acres | 24.9% | |
|
Other Rural Areas
|
57,200 acres | 6.4% | |
|
Private Industrial forestland
|
86,020 acres* | ||
|
Small Forest Landowner
|
110,447 acres* | ||
|
Tribal forestland acres
|
1,004 acres* | ||
|
Total private forestland
|
197,471 acres* | ||
