Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has introduced a forest bill that sets the stage for sweeping changes in the management of 2.1 million acres of federal forest in Western Oregon.
The bill attempts to resolve decades of lawsuits over the Bureau of Land Management’s so-called O&C timberlands in Western Oregon by designating some areas for conservation and others for timber harvest. It would limit the environmental review process for logging in some designated harvest areas, while guaranteeing protection for stands of trees over 120 years old.
The O&C lands – named for the Oregon & California Railroad that once owned them – comprise a checkerboard of parcels in Western Oregon. The forests are home to significant populations of federally protected spotted owls and marbled murrelets. And the water that flows through these forests makes for healthier salmon habitat.
Logging these forests historically provided a key source of revenue for county governments through profit-sharing from federal timber sales.
“This new foundation will more than double our timber harvest across 18 timber counties and ensure that harvest continues for years to come. It uses the best available science to mimic natural processes and create healthier, more diverse forests,” Wyden said in a press release prior to his public appearance Tuesday in Salem with Gov. John Kitzhaber to unveil the plan.
From Oregon Public Broadcasting: https://earthfix.opb.org/land/article/how-wydens-oc-bill-walks-the-line-between-logging-/