Nels Hanson, Hanson Family Limited Partnership—Olympia, WA

During my time on the WFPA Board (1984-2003) I was also President, and then Executive Director of the Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA). Though I was not initially one of the member companies in WFPA, I was the "Westside Small Landowner" on WFPA's Board and worked very closely with them on numerous issues for nearly 20 years. I became a WFPA member after I was no longer Executive Director of WFFA.

The two organizations—WFFA and WFPA—joined forces on many legislative and regulatory issues over these years. The first significant one was in 1984. That session of the Legislature was to decide whether “making forest practice rules and enforcing them” would be under the Department of Ecology or the Department of Natural Resources. The outcome was uncertain right up to the final vote. WFFA members in crucial districts were on their phones to their legislators right along with spokesmen for WFPA members. In the final vote, DNR was the winner by a single vote.

I still have our tree farm so I became a member of WFPA after stepping-out of the WFFA leadership position, which also ended my serving on the WFPA Board.

Nels Hanson at the Forests & Fish Habitat Conservation Plan signing event.