Editor's note: Unfortunately, the State of Oregon and Governor Ted Kulongoski have not been friends of the forest. The State of Oregon continues to mismanage state forestlands and to allow massive clearcutting on private lands across Oregon. The Oregon Board of Forestr has been a mouthpiece for the destructive practices of private logging companies, causing continued decline of native fish species, the threatened northern spotted owl, and other threatened and endangered species in the state.Please contact Sustainable Forestry Network to help change the Oregon Forest Practices Act to protect threatened forest ecosystems across Oregon
www.sustainableforestry.net
For the update below, our thanks to: deane@efn.org
Update on Plans --From the State of Oregon
The Oregon Board of Forestry has launched an effort to give Oregonians a greater voice in charting the future. The board has named a broad-based advisory committee to help it develop a vision for how federal forestlands can better contribute to Oregon's environmental, economic and social wellbeing. Federal forests cover more than 16 million acres in Oregon - about 58 percent of the forest land base.
The board strives to consider forests of all ownerships - federal, private, state, tribal and other - in seeking a sustainable flow of environmental, economic and social benefits for Oregonians. Including federal lands in the planning mix is a priority for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who has directed the board to serve as the state's main forum for forest policy issues, and to craft a unified vision describing the role of federal lands in making sustainable contributions to Oregon's wellbeing. "Make your vision action-oriented - and comprehensive," he told the Board. "Don't stop at the first or second steps. Go all the way to the last step, including implementation. I believe states must be more actively involved in the implementation of policy on federal lands." Forestry board Chair Steve Hobbs, who also chairs the advisory committee, said lawsuits, administrative appeals and national policy and budget decisions have all complicated the management of federal lands. The health of those lands - and their ability to provide sustainable benefits - are now threatened, he said. The advisory committee will work with the board over the next two years, with the board tentatively scheduled to adopt a guidance document and send it to the governor in early 2009. The document will state Oregon's interests in forest policy-making at the national level, and also will be used as input in specific management planning conducted by federal forest units within Oregon.
To read the article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1164227423132720.xml&coll=6
