Timber lands are undertaxed

To the Eagle:

My very large thanks for publishing Murrow Fellow Henry Brannon's exhaustive three-part report on our county's timberlands and their absentee landlords. I hope I may be forgiven for saying that I raised these issues in my book “Wintergreen” 40 years ago, when things were much better--with local ownership and lots of legacy forest still standing--but big change just beginning, with the sale of the Cathlamet Managed Forest by Crown Zellerbach. We all know what followed: younger and younger forests, more and more gates, no union jobs, loss of our cherished public access. These articles lay it all out beautifully, and it's not a pretty picture.

Thanks to our county commissioners for taking notice, as Dan Cothren has for decades. For them I have one question: the German prince's companies, on the 12,000 acres they bought, last year paid $1.64 per acre in tax. Does this suggest anything to you? The commercial timberlands of Wahkiakum and Pacific counties have always been wildly undertaxed. If the counties could implement a just property tax on these forest oligarchs, it would take the pressure off the diminished DNR trustlands and our county budget.

Perhaps there could be a tax break for removing gates. It's not only deer and elk hunters missing free access, but birders, botanists, mushroomers, and even butterfly hunters like me. As Dan says, our forest patrimony has been taken from us, and with little or no financial benefit to the people who live here. Please investigate assessment of real taxes on these faceless, distant land-grabbers.

Robert M. Pyle

Grays River