The Elliott State Forest took a big step recently on its way to becoming the country’s largest research forest, by finding a site for its headquarters.  Oregon lawmakers established the 82,000 acre Elliott State Research Forest outside of Reedsport in 2022. Last week, the Department of State Lands finalized the transfer of the former Shutter Creek Correctional Facility northwest of the forest, so it can become the research headquarters.  State Lands spokesperson Ali Ryan Hansen said U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden secured $4 million for site renovations and rehabilitation in Congress’s fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package.  Work still needs to be done to convert the facility.  “There’s an early vision for what the site could look like,” Hansen said, “and that is to include laboratory space, classroom spaces, dormitories and offices, as well as housing partnerships potentially with tribes and other local entities.”