Representative Kevin Waters (R-Stevenson) is blasting Washington State Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove for a sweeping new policy that he says devastates rural communities, slashes school funding, and drives up costs for families across the state.
Speaking on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Waters said Upthegrove’s decision to halt logging on 77,000 acres of older forests is already cutting off critical revenue streams. He warned the move amounts to a 20% reduction in funds for local school districts, a loss projected to strip roughly $300 million from rural communities.
Listen to the full audio here:
Upthegrove’s Conservation Push
In a press event on Tiger Mountain, Upthegrove called the order “the biggest step forward in forest conservation in our state in a generation.” His plan sets aside all remaining older forests on state-managed lands, more than 10,000 acres total, while expanding conservation over a broader 77,000 acres of timberland.
The Commissioner argued the move is essential to fight climate change, protect wildlife habitat, and preserve forests for future generations. Rather than rely solely on traditional logging, Upthegrove said DNR will now pursue alternative revenue strategies, including:
- Selling carbon credits in ecosystem service markets.
- Acquiring replacement timber lands for harvest.
- Expanding mass timber markets to increase timber value.
- Exploring silviculture practices that improve habitat and accelerate healthy forest growth.
“I am committed to quickly working with the Legislature to get the authority to enter ecosystem services markets with these acres,” Upthegrove said. “Selling carbon credits will be a central piece of the management of these 77,000 acres.”
Schools Left Strapped for Cash
Waters countered that the conservation order is a financial gut punch to schools that rely on timber dollars. “My five- and seven-year-olds are attending the same schools their great-grandmother did. Those schools still don’t have air conditioning. They need every dime they can get, but Upthegrove’s decision is cutting it all off,” Waters said.
He dismissed Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s claim that the order represents a “new path forward” as “severe posturing” and “flat out lying.”
“There’s been nothing but a decline in funding, no backflow,” Waters said. “This cuts another $300 million out of rural schools at a time when nearly every district in the state is already facing shortfalls.”
Economic Fallout and Rising Costs
Beyond schools, Hoffman warned the policy could ripple through the broader economy. “If you’re destroying the timber industry here in Washington, that now means you need to import everything,” he said. “Which means automatically it’s more expensive.”
Waters described the move as another case of Seattle-centric politics dominating the rest of the state. “There was no timber at the table. No small communities at the table. These policies come from people who don’t understand our communities, and it makes our cost of living more expensive.”
No, this is the wrong decision. Setting aside working forests robs rural schools and communities of resources. This terrible decision could cost rural areas $300M in revenue.
❌ Robs poor rural schools
❌ Harms local governments
❌ Less family wage jobs pic.twitter.com/Z7TrZvzvxO— Travis Couture (@TravisSCouture) August 27, 2025
Fire Risks and Mismanagement
Hoffman argued that removing the timber industry from the equation doesn’t make forests safer, it makes them more vulnerable. “Trees are a renewable resource. Loggers replant and manage better than the state does,” he said. “By cutting off the timber industry, you’re encouraging more wildfires because nobody’s doing the work to clear and maintain these forests.”
Not to mention it’ll become a fire risk 🔥
— Travis Couture (@TravisSCouture) August 27, 2025
“Sick of Watching It Happen”
The representative said Upthegrove’s conservation push was the latest example of urban politicians destroying rural livelihoods. “These policies make people lose their jobs. They destroy family units. They push people into drugs. I’m sick of it. It’s why I ran for office,” Waters told Hoffman.
