Forest industry leaders told Oregon Leadership Summit attendees during a morning panel that they want to find ways to salvage wood from areas hit by forest fires.
Doing so could help make economies in smaller cities like John Day, which was hit by the Parish Cabin fire last summer, recover more quickly. Because of their smaller scale, such cities face broader challenges when economic disasters hit — in John Day’s case, the loss of timber, a key Eastern Oregon business driver.
However, one panelist didn’t have the best of news during a seminar focused on Eastern Oregon regional opportunities. Susan Jane Brown, of the Western Environmental Law Center, told the 40 seminar-goers that salvage of such timber poses “the third rail” for forest product marketing efforts.
“Salvage is a controversial issue, but there are high economic and social interests in salvaging impact from a fire,” Brown said. “My side freaks out when we talk about salvage, but we’re talking about how to get in there.”
The comments came during the Oregon Leadership Summit, at which businesses will shape their agendas for the upcoming 2013 Oregon legislative session.
From Portland Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2012/12/03/biz-summit-e-oregon-wants-timber.html