Washington Administrative Code › Title 222 - Forest Practices Board › Chapter 222-22 - Watershed analysis › Section 222-22-010 - Policy

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) Public resources
			 may be adversely affected by the interaction of two or more forest practices.
			 The purpose of this rule is to address these cumulative effects of forest
			 practices on the public resources of fish, water, and capital improvements of
			 the state or its political subdivisions.
(2) Cultural resources may also be adversely
			 affected by the interaction of two or more forest practices. The purpose of
			 this rule is also to achieve management and protection of these cultural
			 resources by fostering cooperative relationships and agreements between
			 landowners and tribes.
(3) The
			 long-term objective of this rule is to protect and restore these public and
			 cultural resources and the productive capacity of fish habitat adversely
			 affected by forest practices while maintaining a viable forest products
			 industry. For public resources, the board intends that this be accomplished
			 through prescriptions designed to protect and allow the recovery of fish,
			 water, and capital improvements of the state or its political subdivisions,
			 through enforcement against noncompliance of the forest practices rules in this
			 Title 222 WAC, and through voluntary mitigation measures. For cultural
			 resources, with the exception of sites registered on the department of
			 archaeology and historic preservation's archaeological and historic sites data
			 base and all resources that require mandatory protection under chapters 27.44
			 and 27.53 RCW, the
			 board intends that this be accomplished through voluntary management
			 strategies. This system also allows for monitoring, subsequent watershed
			 analysis, and adaptive management.
(4) Adaptive management in a watershed
			 analysis process requires advances in technology and cooperation among resource
			 managers. The board finds that it is appropriate to promulgate rules to address
			 certain cumulative effects by means of the watershed analysis system, while
			 recognizing the pioneering nature of this system and the need to monitor its
			 success in predicting and preventing adverse change to fish, water, and capital
			 improvements of the state and its political subdivisions. The board supports
			 the use of voluntary, cooperative approaches to address impacts to cultural
			 resources. If voluntary approaches are shown to be ineffective, the board may
			 find it appropriate to seek additional protection to prevent adverse impacts to
			 cultural resources.
(5) Many
			 factors other than forest practices can have a significant effect on the
			 condition of fish, water, capital improvements of the state or its political
			 subdivisions, and cultural resources. Nonforest practice contributions to
			 cumulative effects should be addressed by the appropriate jurisdictional
			 authorities. When a watershed analysis identifies a potential adverse effect on
			 fish, water, capital improvements of the state or its political subdivisions,
			 or cultural resources from activities that are not regulated under
			 chapter
			 76.09 RCW, the department
			 should notify any governmental agency or Indian tribe having jurisdiction over
			 those activities.
(6) The rules in
			 this chapter set forth a system for identifying the probability of change and
			 the likelihood of this change adversely affecting specific characteristics of
			 fish, water, and capital improvements of the state or its political
			 subdivisions, and for using forest management prescriptions to avoid or
			 minimize significant adverse effects from forest practices. In addition, the
			 rules in this chapter set forth a system for identifying the likelihood of
			 adverse change affecting cultural resources and for developing voluntary
			 management strategies to avoid or minimize significant adverse impacts to
			 cultural resources. The rules in this chapter are in addition to, and do not
			 take the place of, the other forest practices rules in this Title 222 WAC or
			 laws for the protection of cultural resources including chapters 27.44 and
			 27.53 RCW.
(7) These rules are intended to be applied
			 and should be construed in such a manner as to minimize the delay associated
			 with the review of individual forest practices applications and notifications
			 by increasing the predictability of the process and the appropriate management
			 response.
Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				  76.09.040. 05-12-119, § 222-22-010,
				  filed 5/31/05, effective 7/1/05. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				     76.09.040,
				  76.09.170 and
				  chapter
				  34.05 RCW. 94-01-134,
				  § 222-22-010, filed 12/20/93, effective 1/1/94. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				     76.09.040,
				  76.09.050 and
				  chapter
				  34.05 RCW. 92-15-011,
				  § 222-22-010, filed 7/2/92, effective
				  8/2/92.