BINGEN, Wash. – A consortium of three entities — Seattle-based Twin Creeks Timber LLC, The Conservation Fund, and Carson, Washington-based WKO Inc. — have agreed to acquire SDS Lumber and Timber Companies, according to a press release. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Included in the transaction are the lumber and plywood mills, associated assets in Bingen, Wash., and over 96,000 acres of timberlands with environmental and community importance near the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement with this group of organizations. Each of these entities brings deep expertise. Under their ownership and leadership there will be ongoing positive economic and environmental impacts for Bingen, the Gorge and the entire Northwest,” said Jeff Webber, president for SDS Lumber Companies. The SDS board went through a one-year process to evaluate a transition and sale of the company.

Green Diamond Resource Co. will acquire and manage the majority of the timberlands as working forests to support the local economy. The Conservation Fund will acquire a portion of the SDS properties and manage the conservation easement process and community engagement to ensure that lands with the highest natural, climate and community values are conserved. WKO will acquire and operate the Bingen mill and its related divisions under its newly formed subsidiary, Mt. Adams Forest Products.