Communication site leases support schools and counties

A privately contracted technician repairs microwave dishes on a DNR-leased communication tower on 4,382-foot-high Grass Mountain in King County. PHOTO: Steve Diamond/NW Tower Eng Inc.

Communication site leases were a small-but-visible contributor to the $265 million in leasing and product sales revenues that DNR produced from state trust and aquatic lands last year. Our Communication Site program generated more than $4.28 million from some 100 wireless telecommunication sites in fiscal year 2014. State trust lands provide many ideal locations for communications towers—hilltops and mountaintops throughout many parts of Washington state–that private firms and other agencies lease to carry their radio, television, microwave, cellular and other wireless signals to urban and rural communities. State trust land beneficiaries receiving communication site revenues last year included K-12 public school construction ($1.9 million) and public services in several counties ($1.4 million).

See a list of DNR-managed communication sites by county.

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Planting for success

Here are six tips from a DNR urban forester on how to properly care for your trees. Well-cared-for trees provide a lifetime of benefits.

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Stay up to date with DNR: Try E-News

Want to learn more about Washington State DNR news and events? DNR has an online database of e-newsletter collections that are available to the general public at no cost.

E-Newsletters

• Forest Stewardship Notes – Published 3-4 times a year, this newsletter provides information on products, services, and resources regarding private forestland in Washington.
• Recreation E-News (DNR) – Learn about volunteer opportunities, developing issues, and events taking place on DNR-managed state trust lands.
• Recreation News from DNR’s NW Region – Along with providing updates on Reiter Foothills Forest, this newsletter contains information and announcements about recreation and events on state trust lands in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties.
• Small Forest Landowner News – Perfect for woodland owners interested in managing their lands for economic and ecological sustainability.
• Teanaway Community Forest News – This e-newsletter provides information on Washington’s first state-managed community forest, including the latest community forest news updates and developments.
• The Dirt: Farming for the School Trust – An e-newsletter that is released 4 times a year, The Dirt provides information about Washington state trust lands in agriculture. Topics include: agriculture land management, public lease auctions, grazing, irrigation, and many others.
• Tree Link – This newsletter contains all things relating to urban and community forestry, with information for community members, local governments, and anyone interested in learning about arboriculture.
• Washington State Geology News – Here, readers can find information on news and events from the Washington State Geological Survey at DNR. Topics include earthquakes, landslides, geologic maps, mining, volcanoes, and more.

Signing up for the e-newsletters is quick and easy. Go to our subscription page, enter your email address, and check off the e-newsletters you would like to receive. Be sure to activate your subscription by clicking on the verification code that will be sent to the email address you provided.

Once signed up, you are able to self-manage your newsletters, choose how many e-newsletters you would like to receive, update your preferences as needed, provide your own address changes, and unsubscribe anytime you choose by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email.

In an effort to respect readers and their privacy, our lists are never sold. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the DNR e-newsletter community, you can get more information and sign up here.

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Guide your tree’s life: prune as it grows

Learn how to prune properly by taking a class.
Photo to DNR

If you want your trees to live long, healthy, sturdy lives, pruning is the way to go. Good pruning practices act as structural training, which develops strong ‘bones’ as trees grow and mature. In other words, less work for you and more safety for everyone.

Simply put, structural pruning helps your tree keep its ‘head’ – its leader – and develop strong branches. You can start by identifying the central leader, the straightest stem in the middle of the tree. Then prune away the 3Ds:

• Dead
• Diseased
• Damaged

Next, support that central leader by removing any branches that look like they will grow higher than the central leader.

Prune with care. Over-pruning reduces a tree’s ability to feed itself and may stress a tree enough to encourage insect or disease problems. Never remove more than 25 percent of a tree’s live crown in a single year.

If you’d like to see structural pruning in action, take a drive to the City of Shoreline. Throughout the month of February, the City will work with a Puget SoundCorps team to prune young street trees to help them develop a strong, sound structure that will keep them healthy and safe as they mature. To conduct this work, the City received an Urban Forestry Restoration Project (UFRP) grant, which is administered by DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.

The UFRP provides Puget SoundCorps crews to assist communities with urban forestry maintenance and restoration tasks, such as structural pruning and invasive plant removal. For more information about the UFRP, visit our webpage or contact Micki McNaughton at (360) 902-1637 or micki.mcnaughton@dnr.wa.gov.

Well-cared for trees provide a wide variety of environmental services, such as cleaning the air, while contributing to the health, beauty and economic vibrancy of a community. Give your trees the right care to help them grow up to be healthy, safe, beautiful citizens of your community!

Learn more about good pruning practices with these resources:

• Trees Are Good – Pruning Trees
• University of Florida – Pruning shade trees in landscapes
• University of California – a series of do-it-yourself videos on how to prune trees

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Volunteers are key players in DNR’s recreation programs

While not “fun” exactly, these volunteers had a good experience creating future fun times by helping DNR maintain recreational trails at Tiger Mountain State Forest near Issasquah. Photo DNR.

As the recently published DNR 2014 Annual Report explains, 2014 was a productive year for our recreation program. DNR installed 5 miles of new motorized off-road vehicle trails and challenge areas, built nearly 9 miles of non-motorized trails, completed the new 4.7 mile Mailbox Peak hiking trail, and opened 3 miles of new mountain bike trails in Tiger Mountain State Forest.

Volunteers were critical in 2014, both to DNR’s major recreation projects as well as to many smaller-but-still-important projects, such as litter removal and trail maintenance. During fiscal year 2014 (which ended June 30, 2014), DNR hosted about 65,000 hours of volunteer efforts and successfully competed for grants to provide more than 40 percent of its recreation funds. These efficiencies aid DNR in enabling more than 11 million diverse recreation visits across 3,400 square miles of state-managed lands, each year.

Got some time this winter? How about doing some good for the DNR-managed lands you love! Check the DNR Volunteer Calendar to find opportunities to give back. http://bit.ly/DNRvolunteer

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$265 million earned for public schools and other trust land beneficiaries

DNR released its 2014 Annual Report, which describes the department’s activities, land management and fiscal results on behalf of state trust beneficiaries.

If you look at what DNR generated from timber harvests, product sales, leases and other activities on state trust lands during Fiscal Year 2014, you’ll find that we earned a tidy $265 million for beneficiaries, such as k-12 public schools. A description of these earnings and much more is in the department’s 2014 Annual Report, released Monday morning.

The amount includes $120 million from trust lands dedicated to funding construction at public schools statewide and $75 million generated from lands that DNR manages for the benefit of 21 ‘timber’ counties. Other trust land beneficiaries receiving funds from DNR’s management of 5.6 million acres of trust and aquatic lands last fiscal year included the University of Washington, Washington State University and other state universities.

Take a look at the DNR 2014 Annual Report.

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The annual Discover Pass is the gift that keeps on giving (fun, fresh air, exercise, and much more)

Buy your loved one a gift that will last the whole year, an annual Discover Pass! Now you can choose the start date at the time of purchase.

Not sure what to give your friends and loved ones this holiday season? How about an Annual Discover Pass? For only $35 (if purchased online) it’s the perfect gift that keeps on giving… all year long!

Another reason it makes a great gift…

You can choose the date you want the new Discover Pass to begin – December 25? January 1? June1? – any day you want within the next year. Choose the activation date during purchase – activation must start within 365 days of your date of purchase. When purchasing online, you must allow 10 days for mailing when you select a future start date.

Photo: Randy Warnock/DNR

The best part?

With your holiday shopping out of the way you can spend those remaining shopping days doing what you really want to do… enjoying yourself at state-managed recreation sites.

Ordering is quick and easy!

Just click here to easily order as many Discover Passes as you want from the comfort of your home! You should receive the Discover Pass(es) in the mail within 10 days.

A great gift for any occasion…

Already have your holiday gift list done? Not to worry: the Annual Discover Pass makes a great gift any time of year for birthdays, anniversaries, Father’s Day, graduations, weddings… the list goes on and on!

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Sorry, no Christmas tree cutting on state trust lands, but we know where you can find a tree (cheap)

Sorry, no Christmas trees here. About 8 million of the seedlings—like these Douglas fir—raised last year at DNR’s Webster Forest Nursery (shown here) were used to replant state trust lands after timber harvests. Another 2 million were purchased by private landowners for replanting after harvests. Photo: DNR.

We know that for many of you, going out into the woods to cut your own Christmas tree is a grand tradition. And while there are many lovely trees in state trust forests, DNR does not allow them to be cut down for Christmas trees. We don’t want to be Scrooges, but the trust forests in DNR’s care are intended for sustainably managed habitat, clean water, and revenue to the beneficiaries of state trusts, such as public schools, state universities, and public services, such as libraries and emergency medical services, in many counties.

When we hold timber auctions, we seek the highest return to fund these many trust beneficiaries, which means waiting until the trees reach maturity.

Fortunately, there are many places on federal lands where you can legally cut your own Christmas tree for a small fee. Contact your local US Forest Service Office, or support your local private tree farm:

National Forests

• Colville National Forest
• Gifford Pinchot National Forest
• Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
• Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
• Olympic National Forest

Private tree farms

• Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association

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8 reasons DNR is thankful for volunteers

Volunteers help keep DNR-managed recreation sites clean, safe, and healthy. Photo: DNR.

Each year, volunteers of all ages put in thousands of hours helping DNR.

Their dedicated efforts and skills help us maintain and improve recreational sites, trails, natural areas, and other outdoor volunteer opportunities on the state trust lands we manage.

Some volunteers devote time every month; others pitch in a few hours here and there. Either way, we’re happy to get the help.

At DNR, we’re thankful to all of those who:

1. Spent countless hours battling blackberries and scotch broom to keep these invasive plants from overtaking trails and natural areas.
2. Volunteered for the Forest Watch Program.
3. Provided information and nature interpretation to school children and other forest visitors.
4. Trekked out in the field to collect data or monitor plant species — providing valuable information to staff scientists.
5. Helped us maintain and build recreational trails.
6. Organized volunteer work parties.
7. Helped DNR keep campgrounds open to the public by becoming a volunteer camp host.
8. …. and the many, many other activities that rely on the efforts of volunteers.

Rain or shine, DNR’s volunteers are always happy to show up and lend a hand. Photo by: DNR

To all of you, our sincere thanks! And a Happy Thanksgiving.

Got some time this winter? Plan to do some good for the DNR-managed lands you love! Check the DNR Volunteer Calendar to find opportunities to give back. http://bit.ly/DNRvolunteer

GIS Day: Experts meeting today at State Capitol to show off high-tech mapping

Geospatial information systems (GIS) technologies compile multiple layers of information about a specific area on a map. GIS can be used to map crime, show land use, track wildfires, and more. Image: NOAA

Today (November 19) is GIS Day, an opportunity to salute the many dedicated technicians who use geographic information systems (GIS) technology to help us see the world around us in new ways.

Dozens of GIS users and experts from DNR, Ecology, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington Military Department, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. and several other agencies are gathered today in the John L. O’Brien Building on the Sate Capitol Campus to share their uses of GIS in the public’s interest. DNR, for example, uses GIS to reveal geologic formations and hazards as well as map forest roads, streams, trails and other features. The technology also can be used to track the spread of invasive species, map marine vegetation, or plan land uses.

To see a real-world application of GIS data, visit DNR’s Washington Geological Information Portal where you can toggle multi-layered maps to find locations of major earthquake faults, lahar and tsunami evacuation zones, underground geologic formations, and more.

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