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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=411341822-03062009>Oregon
Department of Forestry</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=411341822-03062009></SPAN><SPAN
class=411341822-03062009><FONT face=Arial>NEWS RELEASE</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV>
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face=Arial></FONT> </P>
<H1 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 3">
</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Major Media
Distribution<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>June 3,
2009<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 5">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Jeff Foreman, (503) 945-7506</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Forestry board revises harvest and
habitat<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">goals for Tillamook, Clatsop state
forests<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The state Board
of Forestry voted Wednesday to revise management on the Tillamook and Clatsop
state forests, reducing the goal for developing older forests and allowing for
greater economic returns through timber harvest.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>By a 4 to 2
vote, the board accepted the Oregon Department of Forestry’s recommendation to
reduce the long-term goal for older forest types from 40-60 percent of the
landscape to 30-50 percent.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The board, in an
amendment, also directed ODF to prepare a review of the administrative rule for
state forest management policy and planning. This rule includes definitions of
greatest permanent value, known as the “purpose” of state forest lands, and
forest management planning, the framework for developing a plan. The Board asked
to have draft concepts prepared for a revision process by April 2010.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>All the board
members expressed interest in revisiting the greatest permanent value rule. Most
saw the revision proposed by ODF as an interim step in a more complete rewrite
of a forest management plan.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>Board members
voting no were Jennifer Phillippi and Peter Hayes. Phillippi said she preferred
not having species of concern strategies and Hayes said he wanted a goal of 40
percent older forest – instead of 30 percent – until a peer review of the
species of concern strategies was conducted.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>According to
recent modeling estimates, a goal of 30 percent older forests would result in an
annual timber harvest of 196 million board feet. This represents a 5 percent
increase over the planned harvest level – 186 million board feet – for
2009.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The board also
approved implementing new strategies for species of concern to protect a list of
40 species identified by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The list
includes threatened and endangered species. The species of concern strategies
replace a draft habitat conservation plan that had been used to supply
protective guidelines.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The revision
retains many aspects of the original plan, including a structure-based
management approach that emulates diversity of stand types historically
associated with conifer forests. A goal of 30 percent of the landscape in older
forest types is consistent with the historic pattern, which suggests that the
percentage of older stand types ranged over time from 30 percent to 70
percent.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>In the context
of this plan, older forests have some larger trees mixed with smaller trees (two
or more canopy layers) and an understory of shrubs and herbs. About 13 percent
of the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests currently falls into this category.
Most stands on the forests currently are single canopy stands about 50-60 years
old, dating from extensive replanting following large fires and heavy harvesting
that occurred in the early to mid-20<SUP>th</SUP> century, before the lands
became public. </FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>Since the forest
management plan is an administrative rule, the revisions will require formal
rulemaking. This process provides for public review and participation in the
adoption of the revised plan.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The revision
process could take up to a year. The first on-the-ground effects of the board’s
decision would likely come in the 2012 annual operations plans.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The revised plan
seeks to achieve 20 percent older forests across the landscape in 20 years,
reaching 30 percent in 80 years. This is a change from the original plan, which
had been implemented with a 50 percent long-term goal for older
forests.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The board
pursued a higher return through timber harvests because it believed the
management plan for these two state forests was underperforming economically.
</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>When the plan
was approved in 2001, it was seen as an economic and environmental win-win. At
the time, forest modeling showed that – even with the development of diverse
habitat – the plan would produce nearly as much timber harvest volume as a more
intensively managed industrial forest.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>But the timber
harvests have been consistently lower than expected and significantly less when
compared to industrial forest management. The revised plan, at 196 million board
feet, represents about 70-75 percent of what the forests are capable of
producing – an estimated 272 million board feet – under an industrial
model.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The board’s
decision is seen as a move to make management more consistent with the purpose
of these state-owned forestlands – a new balance among economic, social and
environmental benefits, with greater emphasis on the economic.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The purpose –
called greatest permanent value – is defined in state law and administrative
rule. It seeks a full range of social, economic and environmental
benefits.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>Examples of
these benefits include timber harvest with resulting revenues for public
services in local counties, healthy streams, wildlife habitat and recreation.
The rule doesn’t specify how much of each benefit is appropriate. That
determination falls to the Board. The management task changes as forest modeling
and inventory techniques improve, and as public needs and interests
change.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>Economic outputs
are important because revenue is distributed to the counties where harvesting
occurs. Counties, schools and local taxing districts, like rural fire
departments, depend on this revenue to provide public services.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>The counties
receive this revenue because they deeded these lands to the state many decades
ago. There was agreement at the time that when the overcut and burned lands grew
into productive forests, the counties would receive a share of the
revenue.</FONT></P>
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face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
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