In 2010, in response to concerns over the ecological and economic impacts of recent timber harvests and a growing interest in local forest ownership and management, a diverse group of stakeholders came together to develop a shared vision for the future of commercial forestry in the Upper Nisqually River Watershed.
These stakeholders created an ambitious plan to build a community owned and managed forest that improves and protects fish and wildlife habitat, promotes local jobs through sustainable timber management, and provides recreational and educational opportunities.
In 2014, the Nisqually Community Forest was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservancy organization and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Nisqually Land Trust. The Land Trust appoints the Community Forest’s board of directors, but in all other aspects the Community Forest operates as an independent body, including the power to buy, sell, hold, and manage land. While bound by the conservation mission of the Nisqually Land Trust, the Community Forest does not share employees, or other organizational functions of the Land Trust.
Currently, the Community Forest is focused on acquisitions and forest management in the Busy Wild Creek sub-basin, which forms the headwaters of the Mashel River, the main tributary to the Nisqually River.
In 2020, the Land Trust transferred to the Community Forest 1,920 acres along Busy Wild Creek that it had acquired between 2016 and 2018. In April 2021, the Land Trust acquired an additional 960 acres along Busy Wild Creek, and this land will also be transferred o the Community Forest. In a simultaneous transaction, the Nisqually Indian Tribe acquire and adjoining 1,240 acres, which it will incorporate into the overall Community Forest management plan.
For more information about the Nisqually Community Forest, please visit www.nisquallycommunityforest.org.
Meet the Nisqually Community Forest!
On October 29, 2020, members of the Nisqually Community Forest Board of Directors held an online webinar to describe the project, provide updates, and answer questions from the community.