Conservation Agreements

Port Blakely’s forests are teaming with life. A host of wildlife species depend on the forests we grow to live, forage, travel and breed. This is why we strive to know more about our forests than anyone else and why we have developed customized forest management plans for almost half of our ownership. We understand that managing sustainably means not only managing for stable timber production, but also for healthy wildlife habitat for the long-term.  

In 2009, Port Blakely entered into historic agreements with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Natural Resources to voluntarily enhance habitat for two federally listed species, the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet. The federal Safe Harbor Agreement, state Landowner Option Plan and Cooperative Habitat Enhancement Agreement are concurrent 60 year agreements to grow trees longer, produce more structurally complex habitats and set aside special areas.

These are not the first conservation agreements that Port Blakely has voluntarily entered into. In 1996, Port Blakely was one of the first landowners in the Pacific Northwest to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) aimed at protecting multiple species. Port Blakely’s HCP includes provisions for research and habitat monitoring for the 50 year life of the agreement.