Designation of Forest Resource Lands

Snohomish County first designated forest resource lands following state adoption of the Growth Management Act (GMA) in 1990. The GMA requires the County to engage in comprehensive planning to prevent the negative effects of unplanned growth and to conserve the state’s natural resources. Included in the GMA is a directive to designate forest resource lands not already characterized by urban growth and with long-term significance for the commercial production of timber (RCW 36.70A.170).
   

Following GMA guidelines, the county mapped and designated forest resource lands in the Interim Forest Land Conservation Plan and established limited development regulations in the Interim Regulations to Conserve Forest Lands, both adopted in 1992. The Forest Land Conservation Plan identified two designations of forest resource land for conservation: Local Forest, which occurs only within the Tulalip Reservation, and Commercial Forest (CF), which lies between the federal National Forests and County rural lands.  See Forest Lands Planning under GMA for a complete chronology.

Code for Forest Resource Lands

In Snohomish County Code, Chapter 30.32A, the county adopted regulations for development on and adjacent to designated forest lands, with the goals of:

• Conserving forest resources;
• Ensuring compatibility between forest lands and adjacent uses; allowing designated forest land to continue to be used for the production of timber and other forest products, required GMA; and 
• Encouraging a good neighbor relationship between forest landowners and residential and other landowners. (SCC 30.32A.010) 

To support these goals, ‘Forestry’ zoning on designated Commercial Forest land prevents subdivision to parcels smaller than 80 acres; and  ‘Forestry’ zoning on designated Local Forest land prevents subdivision to parcels smaller than 20 acres, with rural cluster subdivisions allowed. Subdivisions are restricted on designated Commercial Forest land, with certain exceptions, such as allowing for the installation of communication and utility facilities that must, by necessity, locate there. (SCC 30.32A.100) 
 

The county has established setback requirements in the form of resource protection areas:

1. On subdivisions of parcels adjacent to forest land boundaries: resource
   protection areas of a minimum 100-feet wide must be established, and structures are not allowed within these areas. (SCC 30.32A.020) 
2. Siting requirements for new structures proposed on Local Forest land or adjacent to Commercial Forest land require the establishment and maintenance of a minimum 100-foot setback, which will serve as the resource protection area. (SCC 30.32A.110)
3. Siting requirements for new structures proposed on Commercial Forest land, but not within the Commercial Forest-Forest Transition Area, are required to establish and maintain a 500-foot setback that serves as a resource protection area. (SCC 30.32A.120)

Right to Practice Forestry

In October 1993, the County adopted the Right to Practice Forestry Ordinance in support of the timber industry, which provided that “forest management activities conducted on designated forest land in compliance with best management practices as defined by the current Washington Forest Practices Rules and Regulations (Title 222 WAC) and Washington’s pesticide regulations (WAC 16-228-1220 (5), and established prior to surrounding non-forestry activities, are presumed to be reasonable and shall not be found to constitute a nuisance unless the activity has a substantial adverse effect on the public health, safety, or environment.” (SCC 30.32A.200) The County also adopted a schedule of notification to land owners with property within 500’ of designated forest resource lands. [See “Right to Practice Forestry Notification of Proximity to Designated Forest Resource Lands” below.]

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), a group of committed volunteers with experience in the forest industry, convened to work on policies for forest resource lands. The Snohomish County Council adopted the FAC’s recommendation for a Forest Transition Area overlay as a part of forest lands policies in the 1995 Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan. 

The Commercial Forest - Forest Transition Area (CF-FTA), was established as a quarter-mile overlay along the perimeter and within designated Commercial Forest (CF) land abutting rural land. Its purpose is described in the General Policy Plan (GPP), Land Use Chapter, Objective LU 8.E as creating “… a protected long-term Commercial Forest land boundary that will not be impacted by adjacent land use conflicts.” See diagram.

Current Snohomish County code requires that any newly created lot within designated commercial forest be greater than or equal to 80 acres in size.   

Current Comprehensive Plan policies for forest resource lands are found in the
General Policy Plan, Land Use Chapter, LU 56-61.

For more information on Forest Lands in SnohomishCounty, policies and regulations, please visit the County’s website.