Cores are Core to our Mission: Successful Pathways in Forest Stewardship

BY JEN SYROWITZ

As federal disruption reshaped how partnerships functioned and limited what agencies could carry forward, Conservation Northwest and our allies kept stewardship moving in ways that delivered real benefits for wildlife and communities.

The forests and waterways of Washington’s Cascade Crest boast incomparable beauty and habitat for a multitude of key wildlife species such as black bears, cougars, northern spotted owls, and – thanks to collaborative efforts – restored fisher and Canada Lynx populations. Global conservation data and maps call out the Cascades as a Core ecosystem of international importance for ecological connectivity values and protecting against biodiversity loss. The Cascades are also our home – Conservation Northwest was founded in these forests. We’ve worked for over three decades to make these woods resilient and connect this Core habitat with other regions of the northwest.  

For these reasons, our Forest Field Team has always maintained a presence on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest which make up a substantial portion of the Cascade Crest. We live, work, and play in these watersheds. We know the critters, the plants, and the human-shaped history of these landscapes. We also know and work closely with the people that steward them, past and present. Being on-the-ground and in-the-woods with public land managers, resource specialists, and Tribal staff makes our modus operandi unique and effective. Of course, we are more effective in some places than others.  

Take, for example, on the dry forests of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, collaboratives – which we participate in – have struggled over competing positions (what we want) instead of focusing on shared interests (why we want those things): improved ecological conditions providing clean air and water; fish and wildlife health to sustain biodiversity that floats ecosystem function; sustainable, equitable recreation opportunities for fun and nature connection; and healthy rural communities for economic stability. Repeatedly, we have seen positions outcompete each other resulting in lose-lose outcomes (e.g. too heavy harvest; too delayed projects). The focus on positions instead of interests has also moved collaboration away from meaningful dialogue and cooperation, toward select information sharing with weakened outcomes.  

In contrast – despite national disfunction – we have been able to scale our impact on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest to effect change in nearly the entire upper White River watershed. By working with the USFS, WDFW, Tribal staff, and partners such as Trout Unlimited and South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group on shared values and interests, we’ve brought nearly $1M to bear toward restoration objectives just in the last few years; many-millions if you include partner dollars. Upland treatments that address Tribal first foods harvest and ungulate priorities, river corridor and meadow restoration that reverses degrading user impacts, road reductions and fish passage improvements that enhance aquatic quality – these are some of the ways we are helping to move a highly-degraded watershed from “functioning-at-risk” to “functioning properly” as measured by the USFS Watershed Condition Framework.  

None of this would have been possible without (a) strong leadership and coordination from Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie forest staff, (b) support from Tribal partners that enabled us to produce a Memorandum of Agreement and share financial resources, (c) and collaboration with partners that are as dedicated to fish and wildlife outcomes as we are. In short, we value our relationships with land stewards as much as we value healthy wildlife populations, because it is clear we can’t have one without the other.  

In short, our partnerships on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest enable holistic, ecologically beneficial work to move forward, while collaboration in certain regions of the Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest  has hindered partner efforts resulting in ecologically-questionable giant fuel breaks generating massive timber volume behind closed gates, salvage sales lacking field review or input, and integrated forest and watershed restoration being reduced to timber extraction plans under the guise of spurious emergency declarations. 

Commercial timber harvest has penciled out in the upper White River watershed and the forests look much healthier for it – with fewer trees we see dramatic understory vegetation response, moving these stands from food deserts to food forests. In fact, we see immense potential to increase commercial and non-commercial harvest in westside forests in ways that (1) improve long-term outcomes for forest health, diverse wildlife communities, and suites of species, (2) elevate Tribal concerns and stewardship history, and (3) add predictable volume to industry mills. In 2026, we are doing analysis and creating tools to elevate wildlife values and improve wildlife habitat in non-commercial prescriptions and commercial project design criteria. Next, we will create a “pocket guide” that assists practitioners with successful layout and implementation in ways that benefit wildlife while achieving predictable economic outcomes. Innovative instruments like this are replicable on other forests. Let’s not just tell our partners what we want; let’s show them, and empower the outcomes we want to see on the ground. 

In our closest relationships, we are a respected and sought-out thought-partner, known for good, wildlife-centric ideas that benefit more than just the critters, but whole ecosystems, including the people that benefit from them. We’ve worked hard to get here, and we’re just getting started.