Members of the Oregon Chapter Forest Issues Team had their hands full throughout the month of May as a number of forest-related bills made their way through the Oregon Legislature, post-fire logging activities proceeded full bore across the state, and public outcry over the massive 2000-acre Flat Country Timber Sale near McKenzie Bridge escalated.
Post-fire Roadside Debacle
Following the exposé of ODOT’s mismanagement of post-fire roadside hazard tree removal, Team members submitted a letter to Governor Brown decrying the excessive and improper removal of trees along hundreds of miles of some of Oregon’s most scenic roadways. Several team members also wrote letters to the editor. Although public pressure did move ODOT to hire an outside expert to assess the calamitous overreach, we are still waiting for the governor to take action to halt the massive, destructive clearcutting of big trees along our highways. See last month’s blog post for more about this issue.
Two Bills in the Oregon State Legislature
On the legislative front, one of the Oregon Chapter Legislative Committee’s priority bills, HB 2357, which would reform the corrupt Oregon Forest Resources Institute, had a hearing in the House Committee on Revenue on May 11. The Forest Issues Team submitted public testimony on HB 2357 on behalf of the Oregon Chapter. The bill will now go to the House floor, and the environmental community, including Oregon Sierra Club, is working hard to get it across the finish line.
At the same hearing on May 11, legislators considered HB 3160, a bill to establish an Oregon Wildfire Preparedness and Community Protection Fund. While we support the bill’s proposed funding of Firewise-type community wildfire preparedness programs and some other aspects of the bill, HB 3160 also mandates fuels reduction projects but provides no limits or rules. Forest Issues Team members created this public testimony on HB 3160 requesting that a number of important parameters be included in the text for projects funded under the bill.
Flat Country Timber Sale
Under the Flat Country Timber Sale, the US Forest Service has plans to cut 2000 acres of beautiful mature forest containing 100- to 150-year-old trees, during a time when some processors are not accepting any more logs, because post-fire logging of areas burned in 2020’s Labor Day fires has already maxed out their capacity. In a Guest Opinion in the Eugene Register Guard, renowned forestry experts Dr. Jerry Franklin and Dr. K. Norman Johnson spoke out against the sale. Forest Issues Team members wrote several letters to the editor and drafted a letter to agency managers to be submitted on behalf of the Oregon Chapter, urging that the sale be withdrawn. We called out the faulty justifications given for the sale and pointed out the ecological, economic and climate benefits of preserving the forest in its current natural state.
Please take a stand against the Flat Country Timber Sale, ASAP. Email the Pacific Northwest’s Regional Forester, Glen Cassamasa, to urge withdrawal of the Flat Country Timber Sale at SM.FS.PNWRForester@usda.gov.
Coming Next
The Forest Issues Team recently heard from Doris Cellarius, a member of the National Grassroots Network Forest and Climate Team, about the promotion by federal elected officials of mass timber building products. We have many concerns about the claim that mass timber building products could have ecological or climate benefits. Team members are hoping to meet with Senator Merkley, who supports mass timber projects, to discuss the issue.
In February of this year, the Oregon Chapter Conservation Committee submitted public testimony to the State Land Board regarding OSU’s proposed plan for an Elliott State Research Forest. Members of the Forest Issues Team will continue to monitor the planning process for the Elliott, and will facilitate the Chapter's input when opportunities arise.
The Forest Issues Team will continue to support the Legislative Committee’s efforts toward passage of the OFRI Reform and Timber Severance Tax bills, and will be joining with environmental allies to oppose and stop destructive post-fire logging projects. Following the end of the 2021 Legislative session, we look forward to discussions and actions on other forest issues affecting our state, nation, and planet. To find out more or join our team, contact Carol at illinoisvalley@oregon.sierraclub.org.