Logging Issues Affecting LISE
/There are currently three open and at least two approved timber harvesting applications held by Lummi Island Land Co (LILCO): two parcels to the north of LISE spanning Seacrest Drive (that would affect access to LISE) and one parcel to the south of LISE on property that borders the LISE reservoir and may have an impact on our source water.
The application that was recently approved is for 1.5 million board feet of timber to be harvested on one 66 acre parcel to our north on the west side of Seacrest Drive. While that may be a generous estimate of the amount of timber to be harvested from this land, the reality is that a typical logging truck will hold between 3,000 and 6,000 board feet of timber depending on the diameter of the logs. Those trucks can weigh in at as much as 45 tons depending again on size of logs. Doing the math, based on a generous estimate of 6,000 BF per load, 250 fully laden trucks would be required to haul the timber to market. That’s 500 trips on the roads through LISE. Assuming it took an hour to load each truck, 8 trucks per day (on an 8-hour workday) it would take at least 30 days to move that much timber from the harvest site.
Whether the plan is to move the timber to the north and haul via the ferry (a plan that should have little chance of success with the county and would require shorter log lengths that are not as marketable), or to the south to use the existing log skid and rafting/aggregation point at Inati Bay, the sheer number of trucks and the weight involved would severely tax the only means of egress and exit from the south end of the island and endanger our community. Keep in mind that these concerns only address one already approved application to harvest timber from the south end of the island. There are two other applications – all will require movement of the harvested timber to mills for processing.
detail of a map created by elizabeth kilanowski. Altered for the purpose of illustration.
While the board respects a property owner’s rights to utilize the resources available on their land, it is also necessary to ensure that the actions of one land owner don’t endanger the safety and security of the communities that also share the environment. If you’d like to file a letter of appeal on this Forest practices, it needs to be mailed in time to reach all three offices involved in the appeal process.
Appeals must be filed within 30 days of the permit being granted. Filing means that the letter needs to be RECEIVED at the offices involved within 30 days of the decision notice – Dec 15, 2023.
Letters of appeal must be received by January 13, 2024, allow for time in the USPS mailing system.
Appeals need to be sent to all three offices below:
Pollution Control Hearings Board
P.O. Box 40903
Olympia, WA 98504-0903
Office of the Attorney General
Natural Resources Division
P.O. Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504-0100
Department of Natural Resources, Northwest Region
919 North Township Street
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284
Our Letter Appealing this Decision
Here is the text of the appeal letter as of the latest edit:
Appeal to DNR for consideration of FPA/N #2819206 granted to LILCO on 12/14/2023
Ref: FPA/N #2819206
From: Board of Directors, Lummi Island Scenic Estates Community Club
To whom it may concern:
We, the members of the Board of Directors for Lummi Island Scenic Estates (LISE) ask that the determination to permit timber harvesting on 66 acres adjacent to our properties be reviewed and disallowed based on the impact to the life, safety and property of our community and the impact on roads and properties of Whatcom County.
Lummi Island Scenic Estates is a community of 400 lots owned by 329 property owners situated on the slopes of Baker Mountain. Baker Mountain occupies roughly the southern third of Lummi Island and is an area characterized by steep slopes densely forested with second-growth conifers and deciduous trees. Access and egress to this residential community is restricted to a single county road – Seacrest Drive – that turns into Island Drive at the entrance to Lummi Island Scenic Estates. Island Drive ends at the southern terminus of LISE near the peak of Baker Mountain. The 66 acre parcel subject to FPA/N #2819206 is directly to the north of LISE. Seacrest Drive is the only access to the community and in the event of a medical emergency, disaster or wildfire is the sole means of evacuation or transport of equipment and first responders.
As stated in the Forest Practices Application submitted by Lummi Island Land Company (LILCO) and approved by DNR, LILCO plans on harvesting 1.5 million Board Feet of timber from the 66 acre parcel. Using industry standard calculations, at least 250 fully loaded timber semi tractor/trailer loads will need to be transported to the mills on the mainland. There are only two options to transport this lumber – either via County roads north to the docks for the small, open, 18 car ferry operated by Whatcom County that services the residents of Lummi Island, or to transport the logs south to the terminus of Island Drive where there is access to a private un-paved road to a potential rafting area at Inati Bay. This unpaved road (essentially a trail) runs through properties owned by the Lummi Island Heritage Trust (LIHT) and LILCO. History indicates that LILCO will preferably use this road as access to their log skid at Inati Bay to consolidate its timber before hauling in rafted floats to mills on the mainland.
The result is that at least 250 log trucks, fully laden on the out-board run and empty on the return run – 500 trips total – will use the only road to service the south end of the island that runs directly through LISE. This is a two-lane road typical of those in lightly populated areas within Whatcom County – chip paved and serviced only when necessary. The road as it goes through LISE is extremely narrow, steep and at times consists of very tight switchbacks and hairpin turns that are hazardous for vehicles of the size required to transport logs. This section of road was not striped after a recent chip paving by the county – the operators of the striping truck didn’t consider it safe for their equipment. Likewise, the new, heavy duty snow plow the county dispatched to our area was not able to safely negotiate the switchback. This road runs directly through the heart of the LISE Community where single-family homes are most dense.
The level of traffic indicated in this logging application is a direct threat to the safety and security of those who live on or near this single access road. Island Drive is regularly used by pedestrians and dog walkers, many of which are elderly. There are no sidewalks and shoulders are limited or non-existent. Pedestrians will be at grave risk to logging trucks trying to traverse these roads. Logging trucks will have to slow or stop to allow pedestrians to safely get out of the way, an especially dangerous maneuver on very steep roads and switchbacks.
The roads here on the southern end of Lummi Island are known to be fragile. In November of 2021 when an atmospheric river inundated the area with heavy rains resulting in flooding in Whatcom County, the water run-off from the steep mountain terrain here resulted in cataclysmic failures of roads and culverts. Two roads in LISE – Island Drive near the entrance to our community and Beach Road – were both ravaged by the waters. Neither has had repairs completed by Whatcom County Public Works as of yet. According to county engineers, the amount of truck/trailer traffic indicated by the application will certainly strain this infrastructure to it’s breaking point.
We, the Board of Directors of LISE ask that the application to harvest these 66 acres be reviewed and rescinded based on:
Impact to the safety of life and security of the residents of LISE
Impact to the infrastructure – county roads and drainage system of Lummi Island
Impact on private roads in the area
Respectfully submitted by the Board of Directors, Lummi Island Scenic Estates:
