Deal secures 3,000 acres of forest near Mount St. Helens

Columbia Land Trust on Monday announced the conservation of more than 3,000 acres of forestland near Mount St. Helens, the latest phase in an ongoing effort by the organization to prevent development in the area.

The Vancouver-based nonprofit purchased development rights on the land, which will remain under the ownership of timber company Pope Resources. It will also remain in active forestry and produce tax-generating timber harvests, according to the land trust.

“This landmark project shows what can be achieved when a timber company, a conservation group and public leaders put their heads together to find lasting conservation solutions that benefit both people and nature,” Columbia Land Trust Executive Director Glenn Lamb said in a released statement.

The $1.1 million deal is part of the Mount St. Helens Forest Conservation project, which aims to protect more than 20,000 acres of land near Swift Reservoir in Skamania County from development. The land trust secured nearly 6,900 acres south of the reservoir through a conservation easement in 2010. The organization acquired another 2,300 acres in the outright purchase of a second parcel along the east side of Pine Creek in 2013. This agreement added 3,087 acres mostly through an easement, though the land trust also purchased 210 acres along the west bank of Pine Creek, protecting critical habitat for endangered bull trout and other wildlife, according to the organization. The deal was funded by a grant from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

For the fourth and final phase of the project, the land trust has its eyes on another 7,900 acres spanning both sides of Swift Reservoir. All four parcels sit to the south of Mount St. Helens.