HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Nat Res Apr 26 2022Whatcom County
Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
9:30 AM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 10:10 A.M. (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON OR
SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil
OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final April 26, 2022
Resources Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, and Kaylee Galloway
Absent: None
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, and Carol Frazey
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2022-255 Whatcom County Forestry Advisory Committee - industry update and committee
engagement
Joshua Fleischmann, Planning and Development Services Department,
introduced the following Forest Advisory Committee members and they
presented and answered questions:
• Aubrey Stargell, Forest Products Manufacturer
• Cory McDonald, Department of Natural Resources
The speakers answered questions about whether there are still vacancies on
the Forest Advisory Committee, what Stargell's thoughts are on Whatcom
County's plans to acquire land for a community forest, whether the forest
industry is talking to she wd uii�y anamity governments who will be having to
manage the lands in the watershed to make it a mature forest, the evolution
of forest practices over time as information has evolved and science has
changed as it relates to climate resilience and other ecosystem services and
how they see that changing in the future as we combat the effects of climate
change, whether there are any policy issues the Forest Advisory Committee
has been working on or future collaboration the Council can help facilitate,
whether there is a sense of how much land is zoned as commercial forestry
and how much of that is actually realistically commercially viable
productive land, how far along we are to reaching the goal (like we have with
agricultural land) of the amount of acres the county should preserve and
whether that number is something we already have or can come up with, and
whether the industry is still getting young people who are coming into the
profession.
Whatcom County Page 1
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final
Resources Committee
Councilmembers thanked the speakers and Frazey spoke about having a
healthy number of acres of preserved commercial forest land like we do
agricultural land and having data about how forest practices affect water
quality.
This agenda item was PRESENTED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adiournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
ATTEST:;
Dana,'.,frown 17avik, Cpuncil Clerk
U 1f 1Q,Q/i
Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
April 26, 2022
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Kaylee Galloway -via email 4/28/2022
Kaylee Galloway, Committee Chair
Wkatcom County Page 2