[ODF_Private_Forests] State Forester message - budget

[WEEKS Kevin]

Private Forests News list members:

State Forester Marvin Brown shared this message Tuesday with ODF employees about development of the 2011 budget and new initiatives which explore alternative funding options for the Department.

Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
(503) 945-7427

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July 13, 2010

Dear Fellow Employees,

As we continue to watch reports on the economy, the one consistent message is that recovery will be slow.  Another state revenue forecast is due towards the end of August, and even the most optimistic speculations continue to suggest a significant funding shortfall for next biennium.

What that means for the Department will not be known for many months, but we've not been waiting around to find out.

Starting about a year ago, I began meeting with different legislators to discuss our budget issues.  That has led to two ongoing efforts.

One is a highly diverse stakeholder group that has been meeting with us for the past several months and will continue to do so through early fall.  The first thing we covered with this group was the request to all agencies from the Legislative Fiscal Office to develop scenarios for 5%, 10%, and 25% reductions in General Fund for the 2011-2013 biennium, which begins July 1, 2011.

Everyone clearly saw that these cuts would have huge consequences.  So the question becomes, "What do we do about it?"  Can we successfully compete for more General Fund at a time when people are being removed from the Oregon Health Plan, schools are cutting days and laying off more teachers, and there's talk of closing prisons?  Or should we be trying to find ways to fund Department work that don't rely on General Fund?

If we are going to suggest other funding sources we have to make a compelling case, and to do that we asked this group to outline what a "fully functional" Oregon Department of Forestry would look like.  What would new funding sources buy, and why are those services important to Oregonians?  They will be finalizing this outline next week and then begin looking at a broad array of examples that show how other states and some nations fund their forestry agencies.

If, within that highly diverse group of interests, we can find some common solutions, then we will begin working with them to craft strategies for bringing these solutions to the next legislative session.

This is a very ambitious undertaking and, realistically, I feel like we need to think in terms of three different levels of success. The first would be that there is enough concern and support within this group that we can at least hold our own, or substantially so, during the next budget cycle.  A second tier of success would be enough interest and momentum for alternative funding that we secure legislative direction to continue working with stakeholders and bring back a detailed proposal at a future date.  The optimum level of success would be that we have a solid proposal that gets legislative consideration next session.

If we can't at least reach that first level of success I have real concerns about our prospects.  One likely scenario would be that the Private Forests Program sustains even further cuts and the Fire Program gets funded, but at a higher cost to landowners.  To keep this from occurring I firmly believe we need very broad-based support, not only from our traditional supporters - forest landowners - but from urban and conservation interests as well.

I want to make it clear that we're not abandoning our longstanding relationship with the landowner community.  But if we don't want the burden of funding to fall more and more onto landowners' shoulders, we have to reach out to a much broader constituency who can also see that their interests and concerns are reflected in our business.

The second major effort we have initiated involves all of the natural resource agencies -- Environmental Quality, Fish and Wildlife, Agriculture, Water Resources, Geology and Mineral Industries, Parks and Recreation, Land Conservation and Development, State Lands, and the Watershed Enhancement Board.

Collectively, all natural resource agencies in the State have gone from sharing 7% of the total general fund budget to just 1.1% today.  Of this group, Environmental Quality and Forestry receive the largest shares of general fund, and some of the agencies receive none at all.

But, we are all committed to working together to rebuild support for natural resources within Oregon.  We have had one meeting with key legislators and are planning another for September.

Our common message is that natural resources are central to the identity of Oregon and crucial to not only the environmental, but also the economic and social well-being of the State.  Budget cuts have severely damaged our ability to provide these benefits and our closest constituents - hunters, fishermen, regulated industries, farmers, forest landowners, and others - have been burdened with funding higher proportions of our programs.

We need to reconnect all Oregonians with the importance of natural resources and build greater support for funding their protection and management.

Education, health and human services, corrections, and law enforcement consume almost 95 percent of the State's general fund budget. So it's not surprising that discussion tends to focus on these needs.

We've seen that in recent news coverage about recommendations from the Reset Cabinet, a group the Governor formed to recommend ways of restructuring those services.

Managing Oregon's environment and natural resources may not carry a price tag that grabs as much attention, but polls have repeatedly shown that citizens cherish these values deeply. Our challenge is to tap into those sentiments to build broader support for our work.

These are tough times for everyone and I know many people are concerned about the future, not just in our agency, but in all of state government, local governments, and much of the private sector.  Please know that we're working hard, thinking creatively and planning strategically to someday get past all of this. If you have questions or need to verify information, always feel free to contact me, the Division Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs, or Area Directors.

As I get out and about I'm encouraged by your positive attitudes and strong focus on the job at hand.  Thank you very much for that.  I hope I get the chance to visit with even more of you as the summer progresses.

Marvin Brown

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