Snohomish Basin Forest Ecosystem Services Pilot Project
Pilot effort to create an ecosystem services transaction in the Snohomish River Basin, with a pilot area in the upper Woods Creek Watershed.
DNR appears involved at some level, although it appears Snohomish County Surface Water Management is the technical and political lead. The project was a topic at a UW Autumn 2012 NW Environmental Forum which raised the following issues: The county used Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran model to predict change in hydrology based on different forest retention models. The county used Puget Sound Characterization Project results and a Zhang and Barten Conservtion Priority Index to prioritize locations for protecting hydrology. Forterra is involved in outreach. A Transaction would occur within the county. The mechanisms are not clear, but may include conservation easements, harvest agreements, lease agreements, transfer of development rights, or using surface water fees. County staff suggest that quantifying benefit at the parcel scale is difficult and models are imprecise. Ultimately this effort may play into a restructuring of Snohomish County SWM fee structures. Total SWM fees are approximately $18M/year
Relationships
- broader: ecosystem services;forestry
- broader: watershed
- located in: snohomish
- related to: forterra
- related to: puget sound acquisition and restoration
- related to: snohomish county
- related to: woods creek watershed
Source: Snohomish Basin Forest Ecosystem Services Pilot Project on Salish Sea Wiki