It took nearly five years and two application cycles but the city of Hoquiam and Forterra have been awarded a $2.5 million grant to expand the community forest within the city limits that will include public walking and hiking trails. The grant is through the Community Forests Program as part of the Climate Commitment Act.

Forterra is a land trust company that helps create public walking and hiking trails.

The city of Hoquiam’s grant recipient match comes out to $448,425 bringing the total amount to go toward the purchase of more than 400 acres of land from the Sundquist family trust and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, respectively, to close to $3 million. The match will be paid out of the city’s general fund.

According to the State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, “Forterra will use this grant to buy 85.7 acres along the Little Hoquiam River and 320 acres in the Fry Creek watershed to expand the City of Hoquiam’s community forest program. The land will be managed to protect the city’s watersheds and sustainably harvest timber to support community services.

In addition, the land will add to Hoquiam’s trail network along the Little Hoquiam River and provide public access to the riverfront area. Fry Creek and the Little Hoquiam River support coho salmon and other fish species.”

City of Hoquiam Administrator Brian Shay said forestry is a reliable long-term revenue source for the city and that he’s excited to expand Hoquiam’s network of public trails, which could also tie-in to proposed trail plans above Gable Park.

“The beauty of it, you get to treat it like forest lands that you can manage and harvest. We will manage that as forest lands, as the timber is mature enough to be harvested. It’ll be harvested and we’ll take the revenue from that timber sale and it’ll go to support municipal services. So, it’ll be a future revenue source,” Shay said. “It’s intended to be open access to the public. These are lands where we’d like to put hiking trails, biking trails, so the public has access into the forest like a community park.”

Shay said the goal is to complete the purchase of the lands by the end of the year. The city of Hoquiam, which partners with the city of Montesano on its forestry initiatives, is also eyeing property owned by forestry company Rayonier. Shay added timber is a sustainable line of business.

“Forest lands are one of the most sustainable businesses you could be in. There’s always going to be a demand for wood products. It’s a renewable resource, it’s a perfect line of business for any city or county to be in,” Shay said. “Any time when you have classified forest land, if you do a harvest, you’re required to replant. … You have to have long-term planning for your sales.”

A Washington Recreation and Conservation Office press release stated, “Lawmakers passed the (Climate Commitment) act in 2021 and voters reaffirmed it in November. The act created a program to require the state’s largest polluters to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a known cause of climate change. Money from the act is invested in programs to help communities reduce climate pollution and be more resilient, create jobs and improve public health.”

Other local agencies awarded Climate Commitment Act grant money through the Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative include:

Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force for the Damon Creek at Kirkpatrick Road Fish Passage Construction project ($2 million with $1.2 million recipient match).

“The Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force will use this grant to remove a culvert at the mouth of Damon Creek, on Kirkpatrick Road north of Copalis Crossing, opening full migration to nearly six miles of high-quality spawning and rearing habitat in forestlands upstream. A culvert is a pipe or other structure that carries a stream under a road and blocks fish passage when it is too small or too high. The culvert is partially blocking fish passage and will be replaced with a structure that is passable to all fish in the water. Damon Creek flows into the lower Humptulips River and is home to six species of salmon: Chinook, chum, and coho salmon and steelhead, cutthroat and bull trout.”

Pacific Conservation District for the Willapa Estuary Juvenile Habitat Assessment Restoration ($1.8 million):

“The Pacific Conservation District project will use this grant to combine habitat data and map estuary and near-shore habitats in Willapa Bay to help with planning and salmon monitoring. The district also will characterize the habitat use of the bay and train community members to do field work and mapping.”

Pacific Conservation District for Middle Nemah River Phase 1 Restoration ($1 million with $90,000 recipient match):

“The Pacific Conservation District will use this grant to finish the first phase of restoration in the Middle Nemah River. The district will place logjams in the lower river. Adding logjams to the river creates places for fish to rest, feed and hide from predators. It also slows the water, which reduces erosion and allows small rocks to settle to the bottom, creating areas for salmon to spawn. Finally, it changes the flow of the water, creating riffles and pools, which give salmon more varied habitat. The work will address the risk of the river becoming a series of gravel extraction ponds that are disconnected. The district also will remove part of an abandoned road to improve floodplain connection.”

Grays Harbor Conservation District for the Schafer Creek Headwaters Restoration ($2 million with $105,600 recipient match):

“The Grays Harbor Conservation District will use this grant to place log structures in up to 10 miles of Schafer Creek, a tributary to the Wynoochee River. Adding woody materials, such as log structures, to the water creates places for fish to rest, feed and hide from predators. It also slows the water, which reduces erosion and allows small rocks to settle to the bottom, creating areas for salmon to spawn. Finally, it changes the flow of the water, creating riffles and pools, which give salmon more varied habitat. The conservation district will partner with Trout Unlimited to train its staff in the development and implementation of these types of projects. The conservation district also will create an outreach video to showcase the social, economic, and environmental benefits of this type of project.”