A Clearcut Connection:
UW's Role in Native Forest Loss
Amid accelerating extinction rates and climate breakdown, carbon-dense native forests are more critical than ever.
So why is a University of Washington official green-lighting their destruction?
Rare Forests at Stake
Every month, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources approves timber sales proposed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). These logging projects routinely target some of the last remaining, naturally regenerated legacy forests in Western Washington—complex and biodiverse ecosystems that in many cases are nearing old-growth status but lack protection.
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Rare Forests at Stake
Every month, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources approves timber sales proposed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). These logging projects routinely target some of the last remaining, naturally regenerated legacy forests in Western Washington—complex and biodiverse ecosystems that in many cases are nearing old-growth status but lack protection.
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Since joining the Board in 2018, Dan Brown has consistently signed off on even the most controversial legacy forest timber sales. Between January 2024 and January 2026, Brown voted in favor of nearly 70 such timber sales—decimating over 3,000 acres of native forest in just two years. That's equivalent to over 2,300 football fields!