Plan for logging Oregon’s state forests while protecting imperiled wildlife moves forward

A state forest plan that aims to protect endangered species across 640,000 acres of forestland west of the Cascades while providing certainty for logging is moving toward its final stages.

The proposed Western Oregon Habitat Conservation Plan would provide protections for 17 federally listed endangered species and ensure logging in other parts of the forests to limit the potential harm to those species. The species list includes the coastal marten, red tree voles, Northern spotted owl, and Oregon coast coho.

The plan, first developed by the Oregon Department of Forestry in 2018, would protect the agency from potential lawsuits and ensure compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act for land management activities such as timber harvest, construction and maintenance in the state forests over a 70-year period. It would also improve forest conservation strategies and create a fund that could generate an average of $1 million per year to help pay for habitat conservation and enhancement projects for protected species.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft environmental review of the plan and are currently accepting public comments. The agencies will review public comments and issue a final plan sometime next year, and then the plan will go to the Oregon Board of Forestry for final approval.

ODF’s Deputy Division Chief of Policy and Technical Support Michael Wilson said he believes this is the agency’s best effort to come up with a plan that provides a balance of conservation, species protection, recreation and continued timber harvest in state forests.

“It’s essential that we provide a foundation that provides certainty that we can still make the forest accessible in all those ways going forward,” he said.

ODF spokesman Jason Cox said the plan is designed to provide cleaner water and high-quality habitat conservation while allowing for timber harvest, which also funds the agency’s state forest programs, and benefits local counties and rural communities.

Cox said the plan represents a “middle-of-the-road approach” because of how much input there’s been from conservation groups, the timber industry, and residents in counties where the state forests are located.

Conservation groups agree the plan does strike a balance but more could have been done to increase environmental protection.

Brett Brownscombe with the Wild Salmon Center environmental group said while the plan does provide a vision for more conservation, he expected ODF to reform its business model to reduce the agency’s reliance on timber revenue.