Timber and Fish

I moved from Indiana to Lewis County in 1985 and raised four children with my wife of 38 years on our tree farm in Onalaska, where we grow timber, chestnuts, fruit trees and vegetable crops. Our 65-acre tree farm is Forest Stewardship Certified under three complimentary management plans and certified sustainable practices by Forest Stewardship Council, the Department of Natural Resources/WSU Forest Stewardship Program, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. I am a member of Lewis County Farm Forestry, Lewis County Farm Bureau, Washington Stewardship Forestry, the American Tree Farm Program, and a founding member of the national Chestnut Growers Association.

I received my Master’s degree in Environmental Studies (MES) from Evergreen State College. This helped me secure a position as a Planner with the Executive Management team at the Department of Natural Resources. My tenure includes nine years of experience as a Program Manager - administering land acquisition and planning grants for habitat conservation and long-term timber revenue for industrial and private forest landowners. I am trained as a wildland firefighter and served as a Public Information Officer on inter-agency Incident Command Teams throughout the Pacific Northwest. I also have experience as working with the State legislature to advocate for land management issues critical to DNR timber practices at the time.

Current times call for an active voice from rural communities where natural resources are threatened by increasing wildfires, forest disease, on federal, state and private timber lands and diminishing and unsustainable runs of our wild and sports fisheries on both the Cowlitz and Chehalis River Basins. This includes working with landowners and regulators to come up with solutions that generate revenue that our communities have relied on for generations. I can leverage my timber growing and management experience to be an informed voice for Lewis County and bring our concerns to the table.

Feel free to contact me by email with any questions or concerns on this topic at HarryO4LewisCo@gmail.com