Oregon’s private forests agreement funds fish-saving projects, makes headway on plan for protecting endangered species

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
June 10, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

About two dozen projects aimed at saving imperiled fish and amphibians are getting a share of $10 million, the first round of grants to come out of Oregon’s landmark agreement on managing private forest lands. For years, conservationists and timber industry groups debated how to protect fish, frogs and salamanders while also logging trees on 10 million acres of privately owned lands. They came to an agreement called the Private Forest Accord, signed by former Gov. Kate Brown in 2022. …This year, about $10 million were awarded to 25 projects in western and southern Oregon, and a couple in northeastern Oregon. …In addition to the grant program, the Private Forest Accord ushered in logging regulations aimed at protecting sensitive fish and other aquatic species. Among the changes, the accord increased stream buffers so timber companies don’t log too close to moving water, and it requires them to leave more trees behind when logging on steep slopes.

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