Hancock sells 100,000 acres of Snoqualmie Valley Forest Land

In late November, Snoqualmie City Councilman Charles Peterson said Hancock Timber had sold 100,000 acres of forest land in the Snoqualmie area – land managed by Hancock Forest Management, which issues access permits to the Snoqualmie Forest located north of North Bend and Snoqualmie.

Those motorized recreation, non-motorized and camping permits to the popular area allow access for a range of outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, bicycling, sightseeing, photography, horseback riding, walking and bicycling.

According to Hancock’s website, Snoqualmie Recreational Access Permits were no longer for sale after November 13, 2015, but annual permits purchased before that date were valid through March 30th, 2016.

So who bought the land?

In December, via a press release, Portland Oregon firm, Campbell Global, stated it had “completed the purchase of over 100,000 acres of timberlands in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.”  The property was described as “located east of Seattle and was previously managed by the Hancock Timber Resource Group.”

According to Campbell Global, the property has been well managed as productive timberland for many years and is comprised mostly of Douglas fir and Western Hemlock, with the majority of the land base privately managed as a ‘working forest’ and also subject to a conservation easement that limits future development.

Campbell Global stated it is dedicated to managing acquired timberlands “with the highest standards of sustainability and environmental care.” President and CEO, John Gilleland said [in the press release], “We look forward to engaging with local contractors, vendors.”

Based in Portland, Oregon, Campbell Global was founded in 1981 and has more than three decades of experience and industry knowledge in timberland investment management. The firm currently manages approximately 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) worldwide, representing approximately $6 billion in assets.

In addition to active reforestation efforts, Campbell Global’s stewardship of the property includes maintaining its SFI® Certification, a designation that requires third-party audits to verify the implementation of best management practices. This includes enhancing wildlife habitat, maintaining functional riparian zones and using modern logging techniques.

According to a Puget Sound Business Journal article, the land sale was estimated at nearly $400 million, and “Campbell Global’s new holdings are east of Fall City and near the city of Seattle’s Tolt River reservoir.”

Below is the southern portion of the Snoqualmie Forest Recreation access map from the Hancock Forest Management website. See the full map HERE.