In 2018, Oregon’s State Land Board (SLB) asked the Department of State Lands (DSL), and the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Forestry, to draft a plan that would transfer the Elliott Forest to OSU and create an Elliott State Resource Forest. After forming an Advisory Board and undertaking an enormous amount of work, they produced a Draft Plan. The SLB is expected to discuss approving this plan in their December 8th meeting.
Three members of the Chapter’s Conservation Committee (ConsCom), Carol Valentine, Debra Higbee-Sudyka, and Gregory Monahan came together and formed a team to submit comments to the SLB on the Draft Plan. Our amazing Interim Director, Lara Jones, supported us in our work, and we could not have done it without her. Special thanks is owed to Fergus McLean, the Conservation Chair of the Many Rivers Group centered in Eugene, for sharing his in-depth knowledge of the Elliott and forests. With the support of the talented Mariah Shriner, we sent an Action Alert that generated over 500 email comments that went to the State Land Board and we also collaborated with ally organizations to help generate more public comments.
You can read the Chapter’s two comment letters here and here. In our effort to create and submit these two comment letters, we researched and analyzed over 200+ pages of documentation and connected with several like-minded conservation allies. We also hosted a webinar featuring Portland Audubon Conservation Director Bob Sallinger, to help us understand the current plan. Additionally, the ConsCom voted to sign on to a joint letter coordinated by the Coast Range Forest Watch (CRFW) which you can read here. The CRFW sign on letter highlights several strong elements including:
- a commitment to protecting approximately 93% of the forest currently >65 years in age in permanent large and small reserves,
- a 34,000+ acre contiguous reserve,
- a plan that will allow the forest to increase from approximately 49% mature forests today to more than 70% mature and old growth over the next 50 years,
- a commitment to science-based management and advancing recovery of imperiled species.
While we appreciate the huge amount of work that went into developing the Draft Plan, we are concerned it does not comprehend the urgency and severity of the climate crises, nor does it have a vision for a future that excludes clear cutting - a practice that is environmentally unsustainable. Additionally, the issues of oversight, governance, enforceability, and transparency have yet to be fully resolved, and the funding section needs more work. We also requested revisions to the plan to make it more accessible and understandable to the public.
To further underscore the need for public involvement, and our desire for a strong, healthy Elliott State Research Forest, we are asking people to virtually attend the State Land Board meeting Tuesday, December 8th at 10:00am. Here is the link to the Meeting agenda and materials document which includes the final proposal. To livestream the meeting visit the State Lands YouTube channel.This will be the virtual equivalent of filling up the room and spilling out onto the lawn—something we have done in the past to block the sale of the Elliott and the Jordan Cove LNG Export Terminal. Please join us!
