Rewilding
Green Mountain State Forest
TAKE ACTION:
Green Mountain is worth more standing. It is one of the last wild places on the Kitsap Peninsula, beloved by recreationists and home to vulnerable species and imperiled ecosystems.
GREEN MOUNTAIN
TIMBER SALES
Firvana
Timber Sale Paused
This timber sale would destroy 60 acres above the Gold Creek Beaver Ponds. It is currently on pause, DNR tried to move forward with this project in May 2025 due to "forest health" concerns however LFDC's pushback was successful and it is back on pause.
Tree Louise
Tree Louise
Planned for March 2027
This timber sale would clear cut two important areas on Green Mountain, unit one (pictured) would clear cut the headwaters of Gold Creek logging the most structurally complex forest on Green Mountain, unit two would log the intact south slope of Green Mountain around some of the only cliffs and Kitsap County. This timber sale is currently scheduled for auction in July 2027.
Breaking Bud
Timber Sale Cancelled
This timber sale would have clear cut 66 acres of structurally complex forests at the headwaters of Tin Mine Creek, this forest is now being protected and the timber sale has been canceled!
Green
Green
Timber Sale Cancelled
This timber sale would have clear cut 48 acres of structurally complex forests along the Plumber Trail above the Grata Creek Beaver Ponds, this timber sale was canceled due to the presence of imperiled plant communities!
PARTER ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS CAMPAIGN
CONNECT WITH US!
Want to be more involved? Email joshua@wlfdc.org to join the Green Mountain work group.
About this campaign:
Green Mountain State Forest spans 6,500 acres and contains some of the last remaining native forests on the Kitsap Peninsula. In a region heavily impacted by urban development and industrial clearcutting, these forests offer one of the Puget Lowlands' best remaining chances to restore a large, contiguous expanse of old-growth habitat.
Geologically, Green Mountain stands apart. While much of the surrounding Puget Lowlands were shaped by glacial deposits from the last Ice Age, Green Mountain and its neighboring hills are formed from volcanic basalt over 2.5 million years old. This ancient bedrock supports rare ecosystems found nowhere else in the region, including Kitsap County’s only significant cliff system on Green Mountain’s expansive, roadless south slope.
Mature Douglas-fir trees in the "Firvana" timber sale above the Gold Creek Beaver Ponds, this forest is home to the vulnerable Golden Crowned Kinglet
These cliffs are on the south slope of Green Mountain above Gold Creek, they are a unique habitat on the Kitsap Peninsula and are popular among rock climbers. The Trees Louise sale would log around this cliff.
DNR's "Green Simon" timber sale logged in 2016.
Mature Douglas-fir trees in the "Firvana" timber sale above the Gold Creek Beaver Ponds, this forest is home to the vulnerable Golden Crowned Kinglet
The forest is also a major recreational asset, with a popular multi-use trail network heavily used by hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, and dirt bikers, especially during the summer. As the second-highest peak on the Kitsap Peninsula, Green Mountain offers sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline from its summit.
This campaign began in 2023 when we identified a globally imperiled plant community in a proposed timber sale within the Grata Creek watershed. This finding, later confirmed by the Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Heritage Program, led to the cancellation of two and a half planned timber sales and opened the door to broader conservation efforts.
That year, DNR had four timber sales planned on Green Mountain—sales that would have removed nearly all remaining native forests on the mountain. Today, only two sales remain: the “Firvana” sale (now reduced to a single unit and currently on hold), and the “Trees Louise” sale, scheduled for 2027.
We’re now working with local partners to secure permanent protection for a 1,000 to 2,000-acre core area within Green Mountain State Forest. This vision would preserve the region’s highest-quality native forests and its most ecologically and recreationally valuable areas.
Our work is already yielding results:
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We successfully worked with the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (BOCC), to nominate portions of Green Mountain for conservation funding through the state’s Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) program. As a result, 88 acres of the former “Breaking Bud” timber sale are now being protected through the 2024 NCS funding round. An additional 201 acres—including the Firvana unit—have been nominated for protection in the 2025 cycle.
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We are also collaborating with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on a proposed expansion of the Big Beef Creek Wildlife Area, located just north of the forest. This expansion would transfer 451 acres of DNR-managed land—including units of the proposed “Blinky” timber sale—into WDFW ownership. The proposal advanced through WDFW’s Lands 20/20 process in 2024 and could lead to protection through the Trust Land Transfer program or direct agency acquisition, pending final approval.
This campaign is the result of close collaboration between Kitsap County, the Kitsap Environmental Coalition, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and even the Department of Natural Resources. If you live in Kitsap County, one of the most effective ways to support this effort is to contact your county commissioner and express your strong support for the protection of Green Mountain State Forest.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. If you live in Kitsap County or recreate on Green Mountain:
Please reach out to the Kitsap County Commissioners with a personalized email to tell them that you support protecting Green Mountain. Please thank them for the steps that they have already taken and encourage them to do more.
Christine Rolfes
Kitsap County Commissioner District 1
Contact Commissioner Rolfes at crolfes@kitsap.gov.
Oran Root
Kitsap County Commissioner District 2
Contact Commissioner Root at ORoot@kitsap.gov
Katie Walters
Kitsap County Commissioner District 3
(Green Mountain State Forest is in Commissioner Walters District)
Contact Commissioner Walters at kwalters@kitsap.gov
2. If you are part of an NGO or community group in the Kitsap area:
Please work with your group or organization to send a letter of support for the protection of Green Mountain to the Kitsap County Commissioners and Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove. Additionally, please feel free to reach out to us if you would like someone from our organization to present at one of your event events.
3. Please send a friendly email to the Commissioner of Public Lands asking for a moratorium on timber sales on Green Mountain until a core area can be protected.
Dave Upthegrove
Commissioner of Public Lands
Contact Commissioner Upthegrove at cpl@dnr.wa.gov
4. If you want to document the biodiversity of Green Mountain:
Please contribute to our iNaturalist project here. Documenting the biodiversity of this area will help us conserve it! Consider organizing a hike with friends to document Green Mountain's species.
Green Mountain Overview Map
