If you were to ask Dave Warren, president and managing director of the board of the Vashon Forest Stewards, if he is a logger or an environmentalist, his answer would most likely be “yes.”

To be fair, and accurate, the right answer is that Vashon Forest Stewards (VFS) is, by default, both.

“We don’t really fit into just one category,” Warren said of the organization that played a crucial part in working with the school district when it came to building the new high school out of lumber from its own forest.

And for those who might argue that it is not possible to truly be both, Warren would ask:

“I usually ask if they use paper … or products that involve paper in any way,” he said with a wry smile.

With a mission to “restore, enhance and maintain healthy native forest ecosystems, and to manage a sustainable ecological business that provides forestry services and island-grown wood products that help support these efforts,” according to its website, the organization is now looking to the community as it works toward long-term sustainability.

Mountain bike trail building in Dockton forest — VFS wrote the grant for this project. (Courtesy Photo)

And it is in need of a new home.

As the driving force behind one of the island’s most under-the-radar nonprofits, Warren believes that VFS must be able to be competitive in the “green” marketplace if it is to survive.

To that end, the group is looking to have its mill Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

The FSC came together in the early 1990s when a group of businesses, environmentalists and community leaders set out to create a voluntary, market-based approach to improving forestry practices around the globe.

In certifying both mills and forests, the FSC ensures that lumber that comes from both is considered to meet the highest environmental standards in the world.

In a recent email to VFS supporters, Warren explained that now that Island Center Forest is FSC certified, it is time for the VFS mill to be as well, even though the process will cost between $1,500 to $2,500. Citing increased demand locally due to programs such as Built Green, LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Living Building, he believes the certification would make the lumber more marketable in the Seattle/Puget Sound region.

“There’s just overall more need for FSC-certified wood these days,” he said.

So VFS is hoping to raise enough money to have its mill FSC certified. Just where the mill will be, however, is another story.

For the past 13 years or so, VFS has occupied a 5-acre space on the same lot as the barreling plant of the historic Mukai farm, initially leased to the forest stewards by the county for a nominal monthly payment of $100.

But after nearly 10 years, in 2013, when the lease was up for what would have been its third renewal, the Mukai property was in the midst of upheaval. A lawsuit over control of the main house and garden was under way, and the fruit barreling plant was sold by the property’s former owner, Mary Matthews, to Zellerhoff Construction, owned by islander Frank Zellerhoff Jr. While the details surrounding the legal battles and the unanticipated sale of the barreling plant have been thoroughly reported, the ultimate blow to VFS was the “swap” in 2016 that King County made with Zellerhoff Jr. in its efforts to keep the barreling plant protected — handing the construction company the parcel VFS occupies. And while Zellerhoff Jr. was willing to continue to lease the space to the group for two more years, the monthly payment was increased beyond its ability to pay. While the county has since stepped in to help with the hefty lease payments, VFS’ lease will be up in June of 2019, and it will need a new home.

The difficulties in finding a suitable space on the island are many, as either the zoning needs to be industrial — and there is very little land on Vashon zoned this way — or, it needs to be a residential parcel of a minimum of 4.5 acres and where the VFS activities would not bother any neighbors.

“We would love to stay in a central location,” Warren said, “so that islanders can continue to come pick up sawdust (for composting toilets), wood and whatever else they need from us easily.”

One spot that seemed like a no-brainer is the old K2 property. Warren said that there is some undeveloped acreage on the site, north of the building — and, it’s all zoned for industrial use. So he called the number on the seemingly permanent “for sale” sign to see what could be done.

“They were very interested in selling us the building,” Warren noted. “But they wouldn’t discuss selling just that piece of the property.”

So the focus has moved to private land owners.

Warren said that VFS will likely choose to buy, instead of leasing again.

“To lose this log yard is a real blow,” he added. “We’ve spent a decade building this organization, and we wouldn’t want it pulled out from under us again.”

The VFS log yard has been host to many projects over the years, including island resident and Tlingit tribe member Odin Lonning’s carving of two totems for the Archdiocese of Seattle in 2015.

In Warren’s perfect world, three groups — VFS, Island Woodworkers and the Vashon Tool Library — would come together in a new spot to become what likes to call the “Island Wood Center.”

In the meantime, VFS is hoping to get its mill FSC certified next month, and is currently accepting donations for the cost. See vashonforeststewards.org to give electronically, or contributions may be mailed to Vashon Forest Stewards, PO Box 602, Vashon, WA 98070.