Plan aims to keep land for wildlife, limit sprawl
A habitat conservation plan that supporters say could reduce the conversion of timberland to housing tracts in Lewis County was submitted to federal agencies Tuesday for approval.
The first-of-its-kind proposal in the country for a collective group of small forestland owners would replace state forest and fish rules on up to 134,000 acres owned by 2,400 small-scale tree farmers, who would have the option to participate.
If approved, the plan would protect landowners from federal Endangered Species Act sanctions when protected species are harmed or killed and reduce the amount of trees they would need to leave along streams, compared with current rules.
"The family forest landowners of Lewis County need an alternative to the status quo — broad brush rules that quite frankly don't work well for small forest ownership," said Lewis County tree farmer Tom Fox, president of the nonprofit Family Forest Foundation representing Lewis County landowners. "If approved, it will help keep the best stewards of the land — family forest landowners — on the landscape."
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Plan aims to keep land for wildlife
