How climate change is remaking this top WA job

Jul. 25—The state’s top job overseeing public lands has become more complicated in recent years, as drought and warm weather stoke wildfires and debate intensifies over the benefit of Washington’s forest in the fight against climate change.

Unlike nearly every other state, it’s an elected position, and this Aug. 6 primary will shrink the field of seven candidates to two. The commissioner for public lands, who was paid a salary of about $166,000 in 2024, oversees the state Department of Natural Resources, which has around 1,300 permanent employees and an operating budget of about $245 million.

The race heated up after Commissioner Hilary Franz announced she wouldn’t seek a third term.

Here is what the job of commissioner of public lands actually entails.

What does the lands commissioner do?

It’s hard to name a part of the state — whether it’s a waterway, forest or grassland — that the Washington State Department of Natural Resources doesn’t touch.

DNR’s operations are largely shaped by its efforts to generate over $350 million each year to fund construction in K-12 schools, universities like the University of Washington and WSU, and hospitals, schools and fire districts in about half of the state’s counties.

The bulk of this revenue comes from timber sales on over 2 million acres of the “state trust lands” and “state forest lands.” These sales and land transfers are overseen by the Board of Natural Resources, which consists of six members including the commissioner of public lands.

Revenue also comes from an additional 1 million acres of DNR land, which is leased for grazing, agriculture, mining, wind power, communication towers and other uses. The agency also manages 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands, like lakes and tidelands, some of which is leased for marinas and other activities, including the Edgewater Hotel in downtown Seattle.

DNR also regulates forest practices, timber harvests and other commercial activities. The board that sets these standards is also chaired by the public lands commissioner or a designee.

DNR’s wildfire fighting force, the largest in the state, responds and suppresses wildfires on 13 million acres of private and state forestland, employing 1,400 people including 550 seasonal firefighters. Franz has touted securing $500 million to ramp up wildfire response and forest health treatments as a major accomplishment during her tenure.

The department also co-manages the state’s wild geoduck fishery, around 2 million acres of recreational land and natural areas set aside for rare species and ecosystems. The agency also conducts geologic mapping on landslides, recovers abandoned vessels in public waterways and helps communities prepare for wildfire through home assessments and prescribed fire.

How is the job changing with the climate?

The race for the next commissioner of public lands comes as climate change has pushed the importance of forests and their management into the spotlight. Mature forests suck in carbon from the atmosphere and provide habitat for animals. So how to harvest them or whether to touch them at all is being debated among conservationists and the communities that depend on the timber for jobs and municipal funding.

For decades, DNR has harvested timber from the trust land for its beneficiaries. However, the Washington Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that while the state can harvest forests to maximize revenue, it is not constitutionally obligated to.

The lawsuit was brought by Conservation Northwest and other groups that have argued that timber sales have come at the cost of other obligations to the public, like addressing climate change, wildfire and land erosion, among other benefits.

Forests in the U.S. absorb between 10% and 15% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and release oxygen, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Older forests also regulate streamflows, reduce flood damage and replenish groundwater, which will grow more important for fish and humans as summers grow warmer, said Paula Swedeen, Conservation Northwest policy director.

The Supreme Court decision gives DNR more discretion on how to manage its forests and the next commissioner of public lands will have the authority to decide how to interpret that decision and what to consider when calculating where and how much timber to harvest. Since the lawsuit, DNR under Franz has said the ruling maintains the agency’s responsibility to sell timber to fund essential services.

The next DNR commissioner will also take over the state’s wildfire prevention and response efforts. Wildfire risk across the Western U.S. has risen as summers grow hotter, drier and longer, contributing to larger and more intense fires. More fires are expected to break out in Western Washington in the coming decades, according to a study.

Amanda Zhou:

206-464-2508 or azhou@seattletimes.com; Amanda Zhou covers climate change and the environment for The Seattle Times.