Lake Wenatchee is one of the few accessible alpine lakes in Washington. No backcountry pass required for this incredible vista—anyone can enjoy it. The Lake Wenatchee State Park receives over 350,000 visitors each year, and many more enjoy recreation in the area surrounding the lake. That is a lot of people looking for a beautiful landscape that is about to disappear.

Timber harvesting is your core business and we need the jobs that your company provides. However, of the 13 million acres of timberlands you own, is the 206 acres designated for harvest on the North Slope of Nason Ridge worth the relatively small profit in comparison to the lost value to the community?

We rely on the required State Forest Practice Rules to protect us from increased risk of landslides, avalanches, and fire due to this planned harvest. However, there is even more to consider beyond these very real risks. In coming years, residents and visitors can look at this land and think: 1) Weyerhaeuser cut down all the trees—that is why it is so hot, dry, and ugly on the hillside or 2) Weyerhaeuser worked with the community to preserve this beautiful forest of ponderosa pines and cedars — what an incredible legacy.

Please work with us to come up with another option. Hold off on cutting Nason Ridge in 2017. Instead, engage with local leaders to find a mutually beneficial alternative to removing the trees in an area of such importance.