[ODF_Private_Forests] Board of Forestry meets Nov. 6 & 7

[WEEKS Kevin]

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE


For immediate release

Oct. 24, 2008                             Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425, or

08-44                                               Dan Postrel, 503-945-7420



Management of state forests tops Board of Forestry agenda



The Oregon Board of Forestry will focus on the future of state forests, state involvement in the management of federal forestlands, indicators of sustainable forestry and other topics during a meeting Nov. 6 and 7 in Salem.



The two-day meeting will be at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) headquarters, 2600 State. St., in the Administration Building's Tillamook Room.



NOVEMBER 6 SESSION:



Managing state forests - Beginning at 8 a.m. on Nov. 6, ODF staff will present a progress report on efforts to achieve a balance of social, economic and environmental benefits on the Clatsop and Tillamook State Forests.



Last year, the board established nine performance measures as a means to evaluate whether the forests' management plan is achieving an appropriate mix of the three types of benefits. Targets included increasing revenues, generated by timber sales, for local government services in the counties where the forests are located, and increasing the amount of forest expected to grow over time into older, complex structure, providing habitat for certain wildlife species.



At the meeting, staff will present options and recommendations for board consideration that would help move toward the various performance measure goals.



Staff reports are expected to run from 8-11 a.m., with public comment from 11 a.m. to noon. The afternoon will be devoted to board discussion and deliberation.



NOVEMBER 7 SESSION:



Topics to be addressed on Nov. 7 include:



Poplar plantations - A change in the way some poplar plantations are being managed will soon place them under the regulation of the Oregon Forest Practices Act (FPA). These intensively managed tree stands have previously been exempted from the FPA, since they are typically harvested in a rotation cycle of 12 years or shorter. But a market shift is prompting some growers to extend the rotation, bringing to bear clearcutting restrictions and other FPA rules. The board will consider alternative approaches to regulate older poplar stands under the FPA, which was developed with conventional conifer forests in mind.



Landslide rules - Staff will present options for implementing a proposed rule that addresses an intermediate category of landslide risk on forestlands. The permanent rule would replace a temporary rule previously approved by the board that will expire on Jan. 13, 2009.



Board of Forestry Strategic Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring -- The board will discuss ways to refine its long-term strategic planning process, which culminates in periodic updates of the Forestry Program for Oregon, the panel's overarching strategy document. The current document was adopted in 2003, and the next version is planned for 2011.



Staff will introduce a new web-based platform to provide public access to information on the Oregon Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management. The board will receive a report on five of the 19 indicators, which are designed to measure progress toward sustainability on all forestlands in the state. Four indicators were previously reported on in March.



Federal Forestlands Advisory Committee - The Board will discuss public comments on draft guidance that articulates the state's vision for how federal forestlands should be managed to contribute to the sustainability of Oregon's overall forestland base. More than half of Oregon's forests are federally owned. The document prepared by the committee recommends policy changes and new state initiatives that would help restore the health of the federal forests, lower wildfire risk and increase productivity.



Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance planning to attend the Nov. 6 & 7 meeting can be arranged by calling the Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office at least 48 hours before the meeting - 503-945-7200, text telephone 503-945-7213 (in Salem).



More information on the Board of Forestry can be found on the Web, at www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/. Background information on the agenda items is located under the heading, "Staff reports."



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