SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has filed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to adopt a new Forest Management Plan (FMP) that would guide the management of state forest lands across western Oregon under a single, unified framework.
If approved, the new Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan would replace the three existing management plans currently governing the Northwest Oregon, Southwest Oregon, and Elliott state forests.
The proposed plan is part of ODF’s effort to pursue an alternative approach for compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency is seeking incidental take permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries division. Those permits would require state forest lands to be managed in accordance with a Habitat Conservation Plan designed to protect threatened and endangered species while allowing forest management activities to continue.
According to ODF, the proposed management plan establishes guiding principles, goals, and strategies that align with the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan. The plan would provide management direction for all Board of Forestry lands and Common School Forest Lands managed by the department west of the Cascade Range crest.
The Oregon Board of Forestry would retain authority to review, modify, or terminate the plan at any time. Under the proposal, the board would be required to conduct a formal review of the plan at least once every 10 years.
The existing Southwest and Northwest Forest Management Plans were last updated in 2010, while the Elliott State Forest Management Plan was last revised in 2011.
ODF is accepting public comments on the proposed rule from June 1 through June 30 at 11:55 p.m. A virtual rulemaking hearing is scheduled for June 25 at 3 p.m., providing members of the public an opportunity to offer testimony and comment on the proposal.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking includes details about the proposed rule text, instructions for submitting comments, and information on how to register for the hearing.
Additional information about the rulemaking process and future updates are available through the Oregon Department of Forestry’s rulemaking activities webpage.
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