Washington Department of Natural Resources

Crowberry Bog is a rare raised bog on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, shown here in an aerial video still taken in July 2024.

A mysterious, rare bog is full of surprises on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula

Crowberry Bog sits like an inflated bladder above the surrounding landscape.

DNR drafts statewide strategic plan for outdoor recreation

Bellamy Pailthorp

The Washington state Department of Natural Resources manages many popular trails and campgrounds, which have seen a 21% surge in recreational use.

A DNR mature forest remains alongside the Olympic Adventure Trail near the Elwha River in Port Angeles. The agency spared 69 acres of a timber sale called "Power Plant," after protests from a coalition of groups advocating for preservation of so-called legacy forests. The state will use funds from the natural climate solutions account provided by the state Climate Commitment Act to purchase replacement lands.

Environment

Commissioner of Public Lands race centers on different forest management styles

Bellamy Pailthorp

The public lands commissioner race is shaping up to be a clash over forest management styles – and how to best use that resource in the face of climate change.

State green lights first DNR ‘land swap’ for affordable housing

Bellamy Pailthorp

The land swap will allow Pierce County to develop up to 28 lots, for single family houses and duplexes, on a vacant site near Graham, Washington.

A large excavator reaches for a pile of timber and places it on the back of the flatbed of a large truck.

Environment

Litigation looms over latest round of Washington state timber sales

Bill Lucia

A group pressing to save older forests from logging is threatening to sue. School officials and others are raising alarm about lost revenue.

The Retreat fire, seen here, is burning about 14 miles southwest of Naches, Wash. As of Aug. 8 it was around 44,588 acres and 64% contained.

Environment

Washington prepares for more fires as dry season peaks

Laurel Demkovich

As the state enters what is historically its toughest month for wildfires, large blazes continue to burn in central and eastern Washington.

A hilly area covered in grass and lush trees with light fog.

Politics

Republicans hold top two spots in WA lands commissioner race. Will it last?

Bill Lucia

Former GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler leads in her bid to return to elected office. Five Democrats split the vote leaving the party in danger of getting shut out.

Fire burning tree near a lake in the middle of the night.

Environment

Washington issues burn ban on state lands

Laurel Demkovich

The state Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide ban on outdoor burning, campfires, the use of charcoal briquettes and prescribed burns on its lands.

One of the hundreds of mature Garry Oak trees that remain in Lakewood, at the outdoor lab maintained by Clover Park Technical College. This oak savannah landscape covers about 30 acres and includes about 700 mature oaks.

Environment

Despite cycles of settlers and development, this rare urban stand of Garry oaks remains

Bellamy Pailthorp

Suburban cities like Lakewood, Washington, are struggling to increase the urban tree canopy. But the city is also home to an extensive stand of native oak trees, a hub for ecosystem restoration, stewardship, and outreach.

Looking upward through dry evergreen trees on state lands that are so densely planted, the light hardly comes through and many branches are spindly with no foliage.

Environment

Washington state's efforts to trade timber revenue for carbon credits

Bellamy Pailthorp

Washington state plans to conserve 2,000 acres of state forest, that would otherwise be logged, to absorb carbon dioxide. Activists want more. KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp explains the potential of this climate solution, and the obstacles to implementing it.