Northeast Washington Forest Coalition adopts a new collaborative vision for the Colville National Forest
News Release
For Immediate Release: October 21, 2021
For More Information:
Kurtis Vaagen, NEWFC President; Vice President of Operations for Vaagen Brothers Lumber. Office: 509-684-5071. Email: kvaagen@vaagenbros.com
Tiana Luke, NEWFC Board Member; Colville Forest Lead for Conservation Northwest. Mobile: 360-901-9548. Email: tluke@conservationnw.org
COLVILLE, WA - For nearly 15 years, the Northeast Washington Forest Coalition (NEWFC) operated under what is known as its Blueprint for the Colville National Forest (CNF). Now, after proven success and enduring collaborative commitment, the group has revised the original Blueprint to incorporate new science, embrace social changes, and reflect the latest Colville Forest Plan, which was finalized in 2019 but excluded key elements collaborative members have long sought.
Named the Strategic Vision, this new NEWFC blueprint is a living, dynamic document that sets the stage—and serves as a roadmap—for productive collaboration into the future.
NEWFC formed in 2002 with the specific goal of moving the CNF and northeast Washington communities beyond the timber wars. After nearly two decades of work, the group has been successful in more ways than one. Together, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and NEWFC increased budgets, secured funding, expanded the scope, invested in trails and other recreation infrastructure, and implemented over 40 restoration projects on the forest.
In 2020, this collaboration between NEWFC, USFS and local leaders and community members culminated in a record of 122.726 million board feet of timber harvested from the Colville National Forest, one of the most in the country.
“NEWFC will continue to be a positive force in our area”, says Kurtis Vaagen, President of NEWFC and VP of Operations for Vaagen Brothers Lumber. “We have come a long way since the fighting of the 80s and 90s, and thanks to the good work by NEWFC members and the Forest Service, the log yards are full and forests are more resilient. Now, we can do more.”
NEWFC’s mission is to work collaboratively with public and government interests to steward and conserve forest ecosystems so plants, animals, and communities thrive. NEWFC’s board includes leaders of diverse stakeholder interests including the timber industry, conservation, outdoor recreation, and local business.
“I’m excited to have completed this new vision for the forest,” says Tiana Luke, NEWFC board member and Colville Forest Lead for Conservation Northwest, a regional non-profit with several staff based in the area. “We’ve built on the important restoration work done in the past, updated wildland protection areas, and incorporated recreation and tribal cultural acknowledgement. This provides a strong foundation to move forward together as a community.”
With measurable successes under its belt, the group recognizes there is still a lot to get done.
“Looking ahead, we will build on landscape restoration successes, and there will be a focused effort to implement conservation, recreation and tribal components that may need to be realized through Congressional legislation,” said Vaagen.
“A new partnership, known as Northeast Washington Heritage (NEW Heritage), has formed out of NEWFC to advance these legislative needs,” Vaagen asserted. “We are committed to doing our part to move legislation across the finish line.”
This work was supported, in part, by the Building Forest Partnerships Grant from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Join us on November 3rd at noon for a virtual presentation to learn more about the Strategic Vision. Sign up here.
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TO LEARN MORE, VISIT NEWFORESTCOALITION.COM