Saw this on another site.
"LONGVIEW — Weyerhaeuser Co.’s real estate company is selling about 6,500 acres of timberland at Merrill Lake and Shultz Creek near Mount St. Helens, saying the land is no longer profitable for timber management.
The move has outdoor enthusiasts worried that the land, which includes year-round hunting and fishing opportunities, could be developed into small parcels by a new owner. It comes about two years after the company’s controversial sale of the 4,100-acre “High Lakes” area sparked the same concerns.
The 1,410-acre Merrill Lake property is north of Cougar and adjacent to the southern edge of the Mount St. Helens National Monument.
The 5,095-acre Shultz Creek tract is popular elk-hunting land off Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. It’s located in the blast zone of the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens.
The company conducted extensive salvage and reforestation operations there after the blast.
The two parcels go on the market next Saturday. Weyerhaeuser has not determined a price.
The company transferred the Merrill Lake and Shultz Creek lands from its timber division to its real-estate division this spring because it was no longer profitable to harvest, said Brad Johnson, sales and marketing manager for the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Co.
The lands are remote and difficult to reach. In addition, Shultz Creek is packed with Noble fir trees, whereas Weyerhaeuser harvests primarily Douglas fir. Also, the company has extracted a lot of the value of the nobles already, harvesting lower branches for wreaths and other Christmas decorations.
The company is marketing the properties for their timber value and recreational opportunities but has no control over its use after the sale, Johnson said.
“We think of it as forestland. That’s how we’re selling it,” Johnson said."
