Oregon — The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to adopt a new Forest Management Plan (FMP) covering all western Oregon state forest lands under department management.
The proposal would consolidate three existing plans—the Northwest Oregon, Southwest Oregon, and Elliott forest management plans—into a single comprehensive framework. The new Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan is designed to align with ODF’s forthcoming Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and aims to support compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act.
As part of this process, ODF intends to apply for incidental take permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, allowing continued forest operations while ensuring the protection of endangered species habitat. The plan outlines management principles, goals, and strategies for both Board of Forestry Lands and Common School Forest Lands west of the Cascade crest.
Under state policy, the Board of Forestry must review each management plan at least once every 10 years, though it retains the authority to amend or terminate a plan at any time. The current regional FMPs date back to 2010 (Northwest and Southwest) and 2011 (Elliott).
Public comment on the proposed rule is open from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31 at 11:55 p.m. ODF will host rulemaking hearings on Jan. 13 (virtual), Jan. 15 (Forest Grove), Jan. 20 (Tillamook), and Jan. 22 (Eugene), all starting at 5:30 p.m. Details on hearing locations, proposed rule text, and instructions for participation are available in the official Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and on ODF’s Rulemaking Activity page.
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