Timber groups, rural counties reject Oregon state forest plan

Timber groups and rural towns say the Oregon Department of Forestry’s plan to manage 600,000 acres of state forests needs to be revamped because of concerns it will lead to declining trees and income.

In Oregon Forest Industry CouncilA trade association representing forest owners and forest product producers said ODF used incorrect information when drafting the Forest Environment Protection Plan, which will manage the state’s forests for the next 70 years.

Their main concern was that ODF had initially said its plan would allow for an annual output of 250 million board feet, but revised it to 173.5 million board feet over the next two years. The cities are concerned that the amount will remain in place for seven decades, reducing ODF budget revenue by $30 million in two years and for the counties that depend on it.