Legacy Forest Defense Coalition set on halting timber sale near Arlington

ARLINGTON — The Stilly Revisited timber sale, on state land about 13 miles northeast of Arlington, is largely filled with Douglas firs and western hemlocks — many that have lived for over a century.

In a lawsuit filed with the Snohomish County Superior Court last month, the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition and the North Cascades Conservation Council contested the 152-acre sale. The groups argued the state Department of Natural Resources is putting forests on the chopping block it is legally bound to save, as outlined in DNR’s Policy for Sustainable Forests.

“They’ve completely ignored their responsibility to restore old growth,” said Stephen Kropp, the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition’s founder. “If they’d taken a careful look at this, it’s quite likely that these trees that they are planning to log would be protected.”

Last month, DNR awarded Stilly Revisited to the Seattle-based lumber company Sierra Pacific Industries for over $3 million. The Legacy Forest Defense Coalition planned to file an injunction this month to prevent Sierra Pacific from logging the parcel during the appeal process, Kropp said.

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