More than half the State of Washington (22 million acres) is forested. Since the mid 1970s, the total amount of forest land in the state has declined by 6 percent (1.4 million acres). The state’s growing population (10th highest population increase in the Nation from 1990 to 2000 [USDC Census Bureau 2001b]) and robust economic development have pushed the housing boom and triggered much of the loss in forest land (Alig and White 2007). Nearly 45 percent of the state’s forests are privately owned, with individuals, families, and investment groups owning slightly more than half, and the forest industry owning the rest.

Five Washington watersheds were examined: the Strait of Georgia, Nooksack, Lower Skagit, Stillaguamish, and Snohomish. These watersheds lie north of the Seattle metropolitan area.

Recent trends related to housing development include:

• Migration of new residents to the counties associated with the case study watersheds accounts for most of the population increase.
• Timber harvests and the value of standing timber (stumpage value) have been decreasing in recent years.
• Rising values for lands sold for development are an incentive for some private land owners to sell forested lands.