Timber groups, rural counties denounce Oregon state forests plan

By Zach Urness
The Register-Guard
February 10, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Timber groups and rural counties say an Oregon Department of Forestry plan for managing 600,000 acres of state forests needs to be overhauled amid concern about it leading to declining logging and revenue. The Oregon Forest Industries Council, a trade association representing forestland owners and forest products manufacturers, said ODF used inaccurate data in crafting its Forest Habitat Conservation Plan that will manage the state’s forests for the next 70 years. Their main concern was that ODF originally said its plan would allow the harvest of 250 million board feet of timber annually but has revised it to 173.5 million board feet for the next two years. Counties are worried that amount would stay in place over seven decades, reducing by $30 million revenue per biennium for ODF’s budget and more for counties that depend on it.

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