(1) The department, with the approval of the board, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land of equal value in order to:
(a) Facilitate the marketing of forest products of state lands;
(b) Consolidate and block-up state lands;
(c) Acquire lands having commercial recreational leasing potential;
(d) Acquire county-owned lands;
(e) Acquire urban property which has greater income potential or which could be more efficiently managed by the department in exchange for state urban lands as defined in RCW
79.19.100; or
(f) Acquire any other lands when such exchange is determined by the board to be in the best interest of the trust for which the state land is held.
(2) Land exchanged under this section shall not be used to reduce the publicly owned forestland base.
(3) The board shall determine that each land exchange is in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held prior to authorizing the land exchange.
(4)(a) During the biennium ending June 30, 2013, for the purposes of maintaining working farm and forest landscapes or acquiring natural resource lands at risk of development, the department, with approval of the board of natural resources, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land and proceeds of equal value, when it can be demonstrated that the trust fiduciary obligations can be better fulfilled after an exchange is completed. Proceeds may be in the form of cash or services in order to achieve the purposes established in this section. Any cash received as part of an exchange transaction shall be deposited in the resource management cost account to pay for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out an exchange transaction. These administrative expenses include road maintenance and abandonment expenses. The amount of proceeds received from the exchange partner may not exceed five percent of the total value of the exchange. The receipt of proceeds shall not change the character of the transaction from an exchange to a sale.
(b) During the biennium ending June 30, 2015, for the purposes of maintaining working farm and forest landscapes or acquiring natural resource lands at risk of development, the department, with approval of the board of natural resources, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land and proceeds of equal value, when it can be demonstrated that the trust fiduciary obligations can be better fulfilled after an exchange is completed. Proceeds may be in the form of cash or services in order to achieve the purposes established in this section. Any cash received as part of an exchange transaction shall be deposited in the resource management cost account to pay for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out an exchange transaction. These administrative expenses include road maintenance and abandonment expenses. The amount of proceeds received from the exchange partner may not exceed five percent of the total value of the exchange. The receipt of proceeds shall not change the character of the transaction from an exchange to a sale.
(5) Prior to executing an exchange under this section, and in addition to the public notice requirements set forth in RCW
79.17.050, the department shall consult with legislative members, other state and federal agencies, local governments, tribes, local stakeholders, conservation groups, and any other interested parties to identify and address cultural resource issues and the potential of the state lands proposed for exchange to be used for open space, park, school, or critical habitat purposes.
