Forestry board hears concerns about draft habitat conservation plan

By Nicole Bales
Seaside Signal
December 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

While there is some disagreement between the Oregon Board of Forestry and the Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee on how to proceed with a proposed habitat conservation plan, there is consensus that new timber revenue projections over the life of the plan will pose challenges for some counties and the state. The 70-year plan would designate protected habitat areas across nearly 640,000 acres of state forests — mostly in Clatsop and Tillamook counties — to keep the state in compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act. During a special meeting on Dec. 14, the Board of Forestry reviewed the results of new modeling of the plan. The Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee, which participated in a facilitated discussion with the board about the results, reviewed the modeling last week. …Jim Kelly, the chairman of the Board of Forestry, said the question about whether the plan gives away too much land to conservation has been a challenge.

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