What Underwood Conservation District does

Underwood Conservation District (UCD) is a Washington State conservation district — a non-regulatory unit of local government — founded in 1940 and headquartered in White Salmon, WA. It serves a 1.4 million-acre service area spanning Skamania County and western Klickitat County, providing technical assistance, cost-share funding, education, and tools to private landowners, small farmers, forest owners, and homeowners engaged in voluntary conservation. Its core service lines include the Native Plant Sale Program (with the annual TreeFest celebration), the Food & Farm Tool Library (no-till drill, manure spreader, Yeomans plow, etc. rented via myTurn.com), the Yard by Yard backyard conservation certification program, Watershed Health & Habitat technical assistance, the Skamania County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, soil testing, a Mobile Chipper Service, and invasive species management (Tree of Heaven Control Project). Specialized post-fire recovery and habitat restoration work — most recently the 2025 Burdoin Fire response and the completed Little Wind River Habitat Enhancement Project — round out the portfolio.

UCD's business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. The primary revenue stream is project-specific grants and contracts from federal, state, and local agencies, including the Bonneville Power Administration, Washington State Conservation Commission, Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, and Washington DNR. Secondary, programmatically subsidized revenue comes from native plant sales (bundles of 10 at $21-$80+), tool rentals ($65-$165 per 2-day period), and tax-deductible donations channelable to specific programs. Pricing across all customer-facing streams is set below market to maximize conservation adoption rather than to optimize margin.

The organization operates from a single office at 171 NW Washington Street, White Salmon, with a 1-10 employee headcount and a Board of Supervisors governance structure. Distribution is hybrid: in-person walk-in service, online stores for plant sales and tool reservations, on-site landowner visits, and seasonal community events (TreeFest, Logtoberfest, Winter Workshop Series). Technology is intentionally light — Squarespace website, myTurn.com for tool library reservations, and an internally hosted GIS Data Library — with no proprietary software or AI/ML systems identified. UCD's defensibility rests on its statutory district status, 85 years of community presence, and a dense web of agency and NGO partnerships across the Columbia River Gorge.

Name

Underwood Conservation District

Legal name

Underwood Conservation District

Website

https://ucdwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Underwood Conservation District is a Washington State conservation district (founded 1940) serving 1.4 million acres across Skamania and western Klickitat Counties. It provides landowners, farmers, and homeowners with voluntary conservation technical assistance, native plant sales, a tool library, and wildfire and habitat restoration programs funded primarily by grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Watershed restoration programs
• Wildfire risk mitigation
• Native plant sales
• Agricultural tool lending

Headquarters

HQ city

White Salmon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grants and Contracts: UCD is funded primarily by project-specific grants and contracts from federal, state, and local agencies including Washington State Conservation Commission, Department of Natural Resources, and other conservation funding sources.
2. Native Plant Sales: Annual native tree and shrub seedling sales offered at reduced costs to district residents. Plants are sold in bundles of 10 at prices ranging from $21-$80+ depending on species. The organization subsidizes costs to promote conservation planting.
3. Farm Tool Rentals: Tool library offers conservation-oriented equipment rentals including no-till drill ($165/2-day rental), manure spreader ($65/2-day rental), and various farming implements for district residents.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from community members to support programs and services not otherwise fully funded through grants. Donations can be directed to specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Underwood Conservation District delivers voluntary, non-regulatory technical assistance, education, cost-share support, and conservation tools to landowners in Skamania County and western Klickitat County, Washington. Core offerings include an annual native plant sale, a Food & Farm Tool Library, a backyard conservation certification program (Yard by Yard), watershed and habitat restoration services, Community Wildfire Protection Planning, free soil testing, and invasive species management. The district serves a 1.4 million acre service area through grant-funded programs, donations, and subsidized fees.

Product overview

Underwood Conservation District (UCD) is a non-regulatory agency offering a portfolio of conservation programs and services to Skamania County and western Klickitat County, Washington. The core offerings include the Native Plant Sale Program (with its annual TreeFest celebration), the Food & Farm Tool Library for equipment rentals, the Yard by Yard backyard certification program, Watershed Health & Habitat technical assistance, Community Wildfire Protection Planning, a Soil Testing Service, an Interactive Map and GIS Data Library, Mobile Chipper Service, and invasive species management through the Tree of Heaven Control Project. UCD also provides specialized post-fire recovery assistance as demonstrated by the Burdoin Fire Recovery program, and conducts habitat enhancement projects like the Little Wind River Habitat Enhancement Project. These programs work together to support landowners and communities in conservation, habitat restoration, wildfire resilience, and sustainable land management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Native Plant Sale Program Annual sale of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings (conifers, deciduous trees, and shrubs) as bare-root or plug seedlings to residents of Skamania and western Klickitat Counties, with plants sold in bundles of 10 at prices ranging from $21 to $80+ depending on species.
• Food & Farm Tool Library Conservation-oriented tool rental program offering equipment such as Yeomans Plow, no-till drill, manure spreader, drag harrow, tilther, Jang seeder, and tine weeder to farmers and gardeners through online reservations via myTurn.com and pickup at Mt. View Grange, White Salmon.
• Yard by Yard Program Voluntary, self-guided backyard conservation certification program where residents complete a checklist across soil, water, food, and habitat categories to earn a free conservation-friendly yard sign.
• Watershed Health and Habitat Services Technical and financial assistance for stream protection, riparian restoration, fish habitat enhancement, livestock management near water, and wetland conservation for landowners in the district.
• Skamania County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) County-wide wildfire mitigation planning program that identifies priority projects for fuel treatments, defensible space, and structural ignitability reduction across Skamania County.
• Soil Testing Service Free soil, manure, and compost nutrient testing with technical assistance on proper sampling techniques and lab report interpretation for residents of western Klickitat and Skamania Counties.
• Interactive Map and GIS Data Library Online geospatial mapping tool providing public access to natural resource data across UCD's 1.4 million acre service area, including soils, precipitation, watershed, habitat, water quality, and vegetation information.
• Mobile Chipper Service Free mobile chipping service that helps district residents reduce woody fuel debris for wildfire preparedness, with priority given to assessed properties and Burdoin Fire-affected areas.
• Tree of Heaven Control Project Invasive species management program providing technical assistance and education for identifying and treating Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), a host plant for the Spotted Lanternfly pest.
• Burdoin Fire Recovery Assistance Post-fire recovery program offering technical assistance, free seed mixes, native potted trees, chipping services, and Farm Tool Library access to landowners impacted by the 2025 Burdoin Fire.
• Little Wind River Habitat Enhancement Project Multi-phase stream restoration project that placed engineered log jams, reconnected side channels, and improved fish passage over approximately one mile of the Little Wind River to benefit steelhead and salmon habitat.
• TreeFest Celebration and Plant Pickup Event Annual March celebration and plant pickup event for the Native Plant Sale, featuring walk-up single-stem plant sales, live music, informational booths, family activities, and community conservation celebration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helicopter placement of 78 full logs with rootwads and 25 slash bundles in Little Wind River restoration
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wind River TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2025Collaboration for the annual Logtoberfest event and second annual fall native plant sale. Partnership combines Wind River Business Association, Wind River Trust, and UCD for community celebration at Historic Wind River Nursery.
• Clark Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClark CD provides access to poultry processing equipment housed at their Battle Ground location for use by UCD district residents.
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership in Wind River Watershed collaboration for steelhead recovery. WDFW operates fish ladder at Shipherd Falls, conducts snorkel surveys, and manages rotary screw traps for monitoring.
• United States Forest Service (USFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wind River Watershed collaboration and Skamania County CWPP development. USFS manages national forest lands, conducts habitat surveys, and leads restoration work on Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
• United States Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wind River Watershed collaboration focusing on steelhead population monitoring, PIT tagging, and instream antenna systems for tracking juvenile and adult steelhead migration.
• Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on watershed and habitat restoration efforts including beaver-related projects and salmon habitat enhancement throughout the district.
• Washington Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Skamania County CWPP development, wildfire mitigation programs, and Forest Health assessments. Provides technical expertise and access to statewide resources.
• Columbia Gorge Cooperative Weed Management AreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Tree of Heaven Control Project, providing best management practices and regional coordination for invasive species control.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clark Conservation District: Neighboring Washington State conservation district (Battle Ground, WA) that UCD explicitly partners with to provide equipment access. Operates with the same statutory structure, funding sources (WSCC), and toolbox of voluntary conservation programs for landowners.
• Wahkiakum Conservation District: Adjacent Washington conservation district serving Wahkiakum County along the lower Columbia, sharing Columbia River Gorge watershed priorities with UCD and running nearly identical native plant sale, tool library, and watershed restoration programs.
• King Conservation District: Larger Washington conservation district serving King County; operates the same statutory model (WSCC funding, voluntary landowner programs, farm tools, native plant sales) and represents the urban-scaled version of UCD's playbook.
• Thurston Conservation District: Another WSCC-funded Washington conservation district running native plant sales, water quality, farm planning, and forestry programs, providing a directly comparable operating model to UCD's suite.
• Snohomish Conservation District: Puget Sound-region Washington conservation district offering the same menu of soil testing, native plant sales, farm equipment rental, and habitat restoration services to landowners, funded through the identical WSCC stream.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): USDA federal agency delivering farm bill conservation programs (EQIP, CSP) to the same agricultural landowner base that UCD serves; overlap on assistance and cost-share, with NRCS operating at national scale.
• Washington State Conservation Commission: State agency that provides UCD's core operating funding and program oversight; not a competitor but sets the rules, standards, and cost-share architecture all 45 Washington CDs operate under.

Emerging players

• Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group: Listed as a core partner on watershed restoration projects; a regional salmon-recovery nonprofit delivering habitat project construction that often complements UCD's landowner-side technical assistance on the same streams.
• Friends of the Columbia Gorge: Columbia River Gorge-specific environmental nonprofit (membership/donation funded) that partners with UCD on land conservation, advocacy, and education within the same geography.

Regional players

• Skamania County Natural Resources Office: County-level counterpart within the same geography (Skamania County) that delivers related environmental and land-use services; shares many of UCD's federal/state partners and co-develops the Skamania County CWPP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UnderwoodConservationDistrict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/underwood-conservation-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Underwood Conservation District