Residents 'panicking' over plan to clear-cut Squak Mtn. acreage
»Play Video
ISSAQUAH, Wash. - A group of Issaquah residents is trying to stop a logging company's proposal to clear-cut more than 200 acres on Squak Mountain.
The group fears the impact will be felt all the way to Lake Washington, as runoff from the cleared area overwhelms a stream and culverts that drain the area.
The stream crossing is the only way Helen Farrington of Issaquah can reach her home. The culvert there was recently rebuilt to withstand high waters after years of flooding.
Residents spent $100,000 on the culvert project, but now there's a new concern all that work could be washed away.
"It's panicking - it makes me panic," says Farrington.
An Eatonville logging company wants to clear-cut 216 acres of trees on the mountain above the stream.
"Once you've taken away all that foliage cover, that sponge - all of that water all of a sudden comes down, overwhelms the natural drainage system," says Farrington.
Pink ribbons mark the areas to be logged on Squak Mountain if Erickson Logging secures a state permit.
Local resident Dave Kappler is leading the Save Squak Mountain group. He's concerned about hiking access and protection of the environment.
"Every time I go there it energizes me to see some of the big trees that are on this property," he says.
Some residents opposed to the logging company's proposal are hoping county and state officials will purchase the land.
"If King County working with other (jurisdictions) - such as the state and other funds - could purchase it unlogged, (that) would be the ideal situation," says Kappler. "We could end up with some great trailhead on Squak Mountain, which we need."
"It's clear, it's beautiful - you can see looking into it that it's healthy," says Farrington.
Residents also fear clear-cutting would cause silt to fill the local creek where salmon spawn. The fish returned here after the culvert was rebuilt.
Farrington now wants the state Department of Natural Resources to conduct an environmental review.
"If this gets washed out again, I'm not sure what we would do," she says. "I'm not sure how we would handle it because we would be back to square zero."
Erickson Logging did not respond to KOMO News' request for comment. The company has not submitted a forest practices application.
The group fears the impact will be felt all the way to Lake Washington, as runoff from the cleared area overwhelms a stream and culverts that drain the area.
The stream crossing is the only way Helen Farrington of Issaquah can reach her home. The culvert there was recently rebuilt to withstand high waters after years of flooding.
Residents spent $100,000 on the culvert project, but now there's a new concern all that work could be washed away.
"It's panicking - it makes me panic," says Farrington.
An Eatonville logging company wants to clear-cut 216 acres of trees on the mountain above the stream.
"Once you've taken away all that foliage cover, that sponge - all of that water all of a sudden comes down, overwhelms the natural drainage system," says Farrington.
Pink ribbons mark the areas to be logged on Squak Mountain if Erickson Logging secures a state permit.
Local resident Dave Kappler is leading the Save Squak Mountain group. He's concerned about hiking access and protection of the environment.
"Every time I go there it energizes me to see some of the big trees that are on this property," he says.
Some residents opposed to the logging company's proposal are hoping county and state officials will purchase the land.
"If King County working with other (jurisdictions) - such as the state and other funds - could purchase it unlogged, (that) would be the ideal situation," says Kappler. "We could end up with some great trailhead on Squak Mountain, which we need."
"It's clear, it's beautiful - you can see looking into it that it's healthy," says Farrington.
Residents also fear clear-cutting would cause silt to fill the local creek where salmon spawn. The fish returned here after the culvert was rebuilt.
Farrington now wants the state Department of Natural Resources to conduct an environmental review.
"If this gets washed out again, I'm not sure what we would do," she says. "I'm not sure how we would handle it because we would be back to square zero."
Erickson Logging did not respond to KOMO News' request for comment. The company has not submitted a forest practices application.
Same as oil except it's Cut Baby Cut. You have to fly over and look down to see how butchered up the "Evergreen State" is.
You would do better to walk over it...from 20K feet you cannot see trees that are 20 feet high or more. Gives you a negatively distorted view.
@Woodswalker 20' trees are shrubs.
And they grow year after year...in fact younger forests sequester carbon faster than old ones do. supposed to be a good thing there...Â
Even the trees on Squawk Mt started as seedlings. As far as replanting after cutting, its been established law for decades to do so after cutting. I know, I planted hundreds of thousands of trees as a youth.
After living in Issaquah since the 50' I can tell you this isn't the first time they cut timber on Squak Mountain! Where does the runoff go from all the home building? In the current there are huge requirements of the logging companies for road building erosion control, replanting ect. Why is it anytime some land is going to used people want the government to purchase it, but scream when their taxes go up. Just a hint you got to have money to buy things and King county doesn't have any!
@jeffburnside @ericjensenkomo This is outrageous. Issaquah is so vulnerable to flooding. How can making it worse be allowed?
Well lets see here....you can be compelled to divest yourself of impervious surfaces like driveways and patios, roofs can be mitigated by installing home-based wetlands and buffer drainage.
What, that ruins your home? That you paid good money for? Just like the timber companies paid money to the DNR for the timber sale. Monies that the state is supposed to use for budgets? are YOU willing to pay more taxes to replace those monies so that you can have your treed views and trailheads?
Get over yourself. Guess you shouldnt have built in a flood plain.
?
I'm guessing all of these eco-nazi crybabies live in houses that are made of something other than wood, right?
Not to be mean to everyone here posting, but if you look up Squak Mtn, you will see the it is a state park, therefore the DNR is having a state authorized timber sale, so if you want to complain contact DNR....
Proposal: Another subdivision instead of just logging. Surly they cannot argue with that.
It sure is beautiful to look at. A shame in that sense, I guess. Otherwise, eh, not so much.
@jowsuf Yes, I truly enjoy looking at a second or third growth forest. Imagine what it looked like before it was cut the first time. Â
@Ignoramos @jowsuf Â
Well, we know what it looked like. Nobody could live there. Just Indian tribes on the periphery and precious little wild life in the dense old growth. The pioneers had to work like crazy to get enough soil area to grow food. Just go look at some of the old pictures. Life was swift, brutish and short. No thanks.
funny how the developer suddenly becomes the conservationist once THEIR lot is clear cut and the house and barn are up.
@dorimonsonfan
Heh. Definition of an environmentalist: Someone who already has their cabin in the woods.
I do not agree with clear cutting why cant they go in and thin the trees. Clear cutting is so ugly. Why not thin a number of trees out and plant new trees and then a few years later when those trees that are growing are about 5 feet high go through and cut the remaining trees and then plant new trees again. It would just seem to me it would be more profitable to stagger the harvesting process. If you clear cut it all then you basically screw yourself because you have to wait 20 some odd years before you have trees big enough cut down again.Â
It is a matter of cost.. to remove trees, such as thinning, it costs quite a bit more to do.. It is easier, and cheaper to clear cut..
I do agree with you, clear cutting isn't good for the environment, thinning the trees, is a much better solution, and creates less brush so the forest can actually be enjoyed..
@Mr. H Clear cutting is better for the environment. Younger trees convert more CO2 into oxygen than old trees. it also uses less energy to harvest clear cuts than pick and chose. Clear cutting is no longer done.  certain stands of trees are left to stop erosion and retain run off.
As a middle class Issaquah resident I wish to apologize for this over caffeinated soccer mom and her rich people problems.Â
@customerservice She is none of those things. Â
Well, you almighty Issaguah residence. You always want to build you palaces as high on the hill as you can so you can all look down on the 'little people' Well, buy the damn acreage with money out of your trust or where ever you get it, and then you can do with it as you please. Years ago, some company bought the property long before you were born and they want to get their money out of it. Move to Bellevue and be an ordinary rich person.
rich peoples problems, I almost shed a tear
Ok squeaky, this is the way it works.3-4-5-6 decades ago a business buys a tract of land.They plan to harvest the natural growth on that land once it grows to a mature size.Over those decades they pay property tax which increases as time goes by.One day, they look out and see that their multi-decade investment, likely extending to before you were hatched, is finally ready to harvest.When that happens some little dweeb who does not know one darn thing except to lock step with other ignorant people like themselves and demand this business eat all those decades of growing their investment because you in ignorance object to loosing your view or what ever.OK squeaky, put up or shut up.Dig down and pay the expenses and reimburse for the lost profits, plus buy back the land at what ever the legal owners ask, because it is not for sale, and you never owned it.
This comment has been deleted
@Luciferian Republicans? Conservatives? Are there any in western Washington? Â
@JT @Luciferian Not many thank goodness. They like ugly flat brown states like texas.
@Luciferian I would bet most of these ageing Yuppies voted for Obama and Inslee. Your comment amused me very much.
Now if this isn't the pot calling the kettle black. The NIMBY's are more than willing to try to restrict someone from doing to their land what they want, but if you really want to hear them howl then try to tell them they can't do something. This state has a very aggressive stance on set backs from streams and other things to control erosion and runoff. Before these rabid NIMBY's get too high on the horse they should look into how the laws already protect them.Â
Calm down Helen Farrington, there is an army of government employees regulating logging. You will be fine. Think of all the beautiful animals that will benefit from the logging.Â
I live in a very rural area with clear cut logging all around central Lewis county. ALL the clear cuts are either replanted with trees or the underbrush grows very rapidly. I have never seen washouts on any clearcut around here. The South fork of the Newaukum is a very healthy enviroment. I know it runs through my property.
People in Issaquah have a lot of money and can buy the news feed.
So my comment read, "If they want to preserve the land they should buy it"Â
KOMO deletes it. Why? Does a KOMO censor live on Squak mountain?Â
First time I have ever had a comment deleted.
@Alert Eagle KOMOvada reports what they want, in the way they want, and tolerates no desent
@oldster70 @Alert Eagle well it is, after all, a private company..most of the time you anti-government types want business to operate as they wish, without interference.. How is KOMO any different?
So, if these squakers don't want the timber logged, then come up with the money to pay the timber company the equivalent of the timber to be harvested. If I bought a section of timber, I would want my money from it. These people do not own the land or have any claim to it. If the logging company owns the timber sale, then they can log it. Nothing they can do about it.Â
Clear cuts provide much more forage for animals than a triple canopy forest. Since they will not allow burns anymore, there is no way for the forest to regenerate itself. It will grow back.
I am amazed at how many people are popping up that have no problems with clearcutting. The proposal on the table right now is for the logging company to come through, and cut down anything and everything sticking up. The usable lumber will be trucked off to make toothpicks or whatever else, and the hillside will be left bare. No plans to replant, no plans to sultivate the land for anything else. Just cut and run. The problem here is not that it is going to look unsightly, which it will, but that isn't the basis of the complaint. The complaint is that with nothing to retain the more than ample rain that we see here, it will run down in much higher volumes than is currently seen, and on a regular basis. Not a once and a while thing, but all the time.
I agree that we all need timber. There is no denying that, however we need to see responsible harvesting of timber. That means some form of replanting and a slight consideration for the environment as cutting down a hillside of timber not only increases the run off from passing rains, but also displaces any and all animals that had considered the forest to be their environment. Would I like to see timber companies make a buck? Sure, however it does not need to come at the expense of those who live nearby or so shortminded as to just cut anything and everything they find without any plan to make it a renewable resource.
@what? I'm under the impression that the regs for logging say: leave so many trees per acre, so far from any creek, and replant so much per acre. DNR looks like they do a great job on The Pen. Maybe the person should have thought about this before living there. Sorry, We have more important thing to take care of.
@what? Who says there are no plans to replant? I don't think you can get a permit anymore to harvest without replanting. This is not what you think you see on reality TV.Â
Aren't these the same people who freak out if there's a cougar sighting,and then want it hunted down and shot for being in it's natural enviroment ??
If the trees are leveled,doesn't that mean there's more room for mega-mansions and Range Rovers..?I thought they'd be all for it
@Pike's illusion Have you ever actually walked through a clear cut area, seen the washouts, looked at the muddy silt in the streams and lakes the runoff goes into? If you have, and possess the awareness of more than your small world, you wouldn't make the ignorant comments you posted.
@OrcasThunder @Pike's illusion Do you live in a house? Do you have electricity? Do you own a car or take public transportation? If you answered yes to any of these then you wouldn't make the ignorant comments you posted about what logging does to the environment because just living is bad for the environment.Â
@OrcasThunder @Beam_Me_Up This is land that has been clear before probably many times and allowed to regrow and it is now ready to harvest again. This is called renewable in every sense of the word. The issue here is not what the land owners near the proposed clear cut is saying that it is bad for the environment but the real issue is the land owners don't want to see the clear cut and they don't want to put up with the noise of the process. If I was the landowner this would be the best time for a clear cut. By the time the economy recovers the clear cut will be recovering and the next clear cut will be about 30 years away which will maximize their property value if they want to sell.Â
@Beam_Me_Up And you probably chalked up the Gulf oil spill to a minor drilling glitch, but it's just part of having the nice things we get from oil...
It isn't necessary to rape the environment to have a modern world.
When these polluting "Squak-ers" get rid of their wasteful SUVs and bloated suburban lifestyles, maybe then the rest of us will take their whining about the environment seriously.
@KOMO_Sapiens So, you feel you are justified in judging others? Really? hmmmm
@KOMO_SapiensÂ
jealous much?
It'd be nice if there was a map to go with the story. I was under the impression that the hiking trails were all on either State Parks, or King County land. If that's true, and the proposed clear cut is at higher elevation, that would suck for sure.
As for the homeowners, I'd think the logging company would be required to mitigate any drainage problems caused by their actions.
@KOMOdo-dragon Not likely. More often than not, they tie up the cases in court for years and then 'after legal fees' there's little left over to repair any damage caused by the short sighted profit minded loggers.
Another NIMBY group that knowingly bought their retreat property next to lumber land and now when the lumber is ripe for foresting they get all bent out of shape. Just like the people who buy property next to an airport and complain of the noise. There are no old growth trees on the property or else they would have been the spotlight of the video and article. I don't like to see clear cut forests but this is private land and the owner has the right to harvest his trees for whatever reason. I am sure the owner of the property has already turned down offers from builders that would do worse to the property then the loggers as the builders maximize their profit with either huge houses or the new trend smaller and many houses in the 200 acres. I don't think these neighbors want more neighbors any more then they want the land clear cut. But, now that the residents of this nature retreat have made their feeling known in a public manor more builders may just make the right offer to the land owner to put up some row houses in a nature retreat. I don't think King county or the state will offer above market value on this property to convince the land owner to sell.Â
@Beam_Me_Up If the company had the right to harvest their trees for whatever reason, they would not have to apply for a permit to cut them, now would they?
@stamperzann @Beam_Me_Up Your right, your point? This property has been clear cut before probably many times. It is a harvest crop for the land owner. It is not the company that started the process, it was the private land owner that started the process and the proper permits will have to be obtained. Again, your point here?Â
This comment has been deleted
@Hadrian @Beam_Me_Up So what part of private property do you not understand? Is the property owner breaking any laws? Logging is a very controlled operation and they have strict rules to follow and I am sure they are required to replant the cut. So what type of house do you live in? If you are not living in the forest sleeping on the ground without making any efforts to live in a structure you are just as guilty as these land owners are if you think clear cutting land is wrong. Every residence in the world was wild land before people built on it. Then more people built on it. You get the picture right? So you think that we should just halt all progress? You want to make laws to keep people in specific borders? You want to keep private land owners from utilizing their assets? Or maybe you want everyone who owns land that is not developed yet to donate this land to the county/state/federal government? Just because you own land does not make it right to dictate to the other land owners in the area what they can and cannot do with their land. I agree with you that progress is change and people don't like change especially when they went out of their way to live in nature but just as their houses when they built them was change to their neighbors they should be prepared for change to catch up with them. Their attitude here is saying that they don't care about the other legal land owners in the area if it means they have to change. Nothing like having your cake and eating it too. These people can do the same thing they did when they moved into their nature preserve, move, instead of trying to force their selfish wants on the other private land owners in their area.
@Hadrian @Beam_Me_Up But we are not talking about the plight of orangutans. We are talking about renewable forest that has been clear cut before and replanted and is now mature enough again to harvest one more time. This is not old growth that should be protected at all costs. You fail to see that these people knowingly moved next to lumber land that was clear cut before and there was no guarantee provided to these people that the land would not be clear cut again.Â
@Hadrian @Beam_Me_Up Oh, another "I'm better than you are at grammar or sentence structure or paragraph format but I have no sensible reply so I will make fun of you instead" poster. You have proven your value is nothing.