Background
WSAC and several member counties work closely with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on issues regarding the management of state forestlands. Most State forestlands were originally privately-owned forestlands forfeited to counties in the 1920s and 1930s due to unpaid property taxes. These lands were subsequently turned over to the state and today DNR manages State forestlands in trust for the benefit of county taxing jurisdictions where the lands are located. Almost all State forest lands are in western Washington.
Counties also have a significant interest in overall timber harvest on all DNR-managed forestlands, not just state forestlands. In 1971, the Legislature replaced the annual property tax on timber with an excise tax based on the value of the timber at the time of harvest. The 5 percent timber excise tax is collected by the Department of Revenue for timber harvested from all public and private lands and is composed of a 4 percent county tax and a 1 percent state tax. The county portion is distributed to the county where the timber was harvested.
Request for Proposals Project Overview
This project involves performing a study of the economic impacts in counties resulting from the proposed amendment to the Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), including any changes in expected revenues to various county taxing districts at a minimum of 10-year intervals presented in future dollars and net present value. Using existing data, it will include valuing timber harvest losses and gains on a variety of landscapes considering elevation, soil productivity, precipitation, marketable tree species, stand ages, and all other relevant factors.
This value should describe changes both in dollars, board foot volume (MBF), and operable acres by county and junior taxing district. The project will also include understanding, considering, and valuing timber market conditions and trends, both current and future as well as the values associated with other markets related to timberlands. These include recreation and tourism and ecosystem services that such lands provide.
The expected deliverable at the end of the project is a written report, including all appendices (which must include a written summary of all assumptions used in the analysis and all data utilized and organized into relevant table formats). The report must be delivered in a variety of ways, including a minimum of 20 hard copies and a copy of the entire document in electronic format as well as no less than four in-person, two-hour presentations on the findings. At least two of the presentations are likely to take place in or near Olympia, while two may occur elsewhere in western Washington
Contact and Deadlines
- Download the full proposal request here.
- All submissions related to this RFP must be submitted by Friday, November 22, 2019, at 2:00 PM.
- Submissions must be sent via email in .pdf format to the following email address: pjewell@wsac.org. Subject Line: MM Economic Impact Study Submittal
