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Lumber

Producing nearly 88 million board feet of lumber, $10.8 million in wages, and generates over $51 million in product sales

Jobs

Providing highly technical skilled jobs managing our forest 90% of which are tribal members

Conservation

Providing critical habitat for fisheries, salmon, big game such as the deer and elk.

Growth

Pairing Tribal knowledge with modern management, the Yakama Nation and Yakama Forest Products produce forest ecosystem programs of excellence

YAKAMA FOREST PRODUCTS

Respecting the Forest

Honoring the Past

Building the Future

The Yakama Nation Wins the SFI President’s Award for Advancing Sustainable Forest Management and Commitment to SFI

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Lumber

Producing nearly 88 million board feet of lumber, $10.8 million in wages, and generating over $51 million in product sales

Lumber, Wages & Sales

When lumber markets began to change in the mid 1990’s YFP partnered with outside industry, completed a feasibility study identifying 5 to10 inch diameter logs and a small-diameter sawmill for processing to be the most valuable future for YFP. In 1998 the small-diameter mill was dedicated, could process 30-40 million board feet a year, and employed 110 workers, 90% of which were Tribal members.

In 2002 YFP completed construction of the large-diameter sawmill to complement the operations. The large-diameter log mill currently employs 150 workers, 90% of which are tribal members. In 2005, using both mills, YFP processed 150 million board feet, provided direct jobs to 240 employees, had a payroll of $11.7 million and made a net profit of over $5 million.

Today, YFP provides 240 jobs, and for Fiscal Year 2018 is projected to process nearly 72 million board feet of logs, producing nearly 88 million board feet of lumber, contributing nearly $10.8 million in wages, and generate over $51 million in product sales.

Building the Future

The Yakama people traditionally are taught they come from the land and that they are part of the land. There is a multi-generational history tied to the land and surrounding environment. Livelihoods are tied to these resources, which is why it is so critical to care for these lands.

These values and the inherent respect it commands have been passed through oral tradition for generations. Oral tradition in the Yakama culture plays a defining role in passing on the knowledge of natural resources and the personal, spiritual and family connections to those resources.

We consider the land given to us by the Creator for the use by the Yakama People and a heritage to be held and protected for unborn generations.

Native American-owned forest and woodlands provide more than $40 million in annual Tribal governmental revenue and 19,000 jobs for families and communities across Tribal Country (Tribal Forests and Forestry Background, ITC 2012).

Beyond reacting to disasters such as wildfire in a positive way to reduce losses, YFP remains an economic tool for the Yakama Nation to provide meaningful and skilled jobs to members and families as well as an opportunity to care for the health of the forest lands of Reservation.

Jobs

Providing highly technical skilled jobs managing our forest 90% of which are tribal members

Conservation

Providing critical habitat for fisheries, salmon, big game such as the deer and elk.

1.4 Million Acres Lands Held by the Tribes

Forests and woodlands are equivalent to approximately one-third (18.6 million) of the 57 million acres of lands held by Tribes and managed in trust by the U.S. Government. These lands are valued beyond the standing forest, and include fish, wildlife habitat, sources of food and medicine, as well as cultural ties to the land for the Yakama People.

These Native American-owned forest and woodlands provide more than $40 million in annual Tribal governmental revenue and 19,000 jobs for families and communities across Tribal Country (Tribal Forests and Forestry Background, ITC 2012).

The Yakama Nation Reservation consists of approximately 1.4 million acres in south-central Washington State, approximately 650,000 acres in forest and woodlands. These lands provide water, food, medicine, spiritual values, employment, and revenue to the Yakama Nation.

Crucial to preserving the benefits provided by these lands, is their proper care and the stability provided to local communities. To achieve this, the landscape requires consistent and effective management, access, and a commitment to facilitate the continuation of traditional ties to the land for the Yakama People in support of cultural strength and a diversity of ecosystems.

Growth

Pairing Tribal knowledge with modern management, the Yakama Nation and Yakama Forest Products produce model forest ecosystems.

Projects and Collaborative Efforts

Under the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) of 2004, tribes are uniquely positioned to helping the United States fulfill its trust responsibilities by promoting resource management on public lands in collaboration with federal agencies. In pairing tribal knowledge with modern management, the Yakama Nation and Yakama Forest Products have produced real accomplishments and model forest ecosystem programs of excellence.

Dry Stewardship Project Restoration, a “Win-Win” Strategy

In 2016, under the TFPA the Yakama Nation and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest entered a stewardship agreement to restore 548 acres of national forest lands in the Dry Creek drainage. The project included road surface repair, road decommissioning, cattle guard removal and commercial thinning of overstocked stands to provide additional restoration treatments. The tribe benefits by utilizing and processing the logs at Yakama Forest Products, thus supporting the local economy.

The Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative

In the Central Washington Cascades, five major land managers—the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and the Yakama Nation—signed an agreement in 2007 to form the Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative (www.tapash.org), to coordinate, fund and implement active restoration projects to achieve landscape restoration goals.

Development Timeline

1942
1991
1994
1998-2002
2013
2015
2018
Today
1st Management Plan
First timber management plan for Yakama lands focused on insect resistant trees
First Scholarships
First Yakama forestry scholarships offered and funded by forest management deductions
Devastating Fires
Large Reservation wildfires led to the need for establishing Yakama Forest Products to salvage losses from the burned forest
Reduce the Risk
Yakama Forest Products completed construction of a small and large diameter mill
Manage the Forest
Yakama Forest Products are successfully certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
Create Jobs
Wildfire impacted more than 60,000 acres of tribal forestlands and YFP was able to salvage more than 15,000 acres
Conservation
YFP enters into its first Forest Stewardship agreement with the US Forest Service
Moving Forward
YFP provides 240 jobs, supports 400 families and processes 72 million board feet of lumber with a payroll of $10.8 million +

Yakima Compilation 1939

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Working with Nature

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