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<div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; ">Oregon Department of Forestry</div>
<div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; ">NEWS RELEASE</div>
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<div style="text-align: center; "><b>State Forests head Forestry Board meeting agenda Sept. 9</b></div>
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<div>For immediate release Major media distribution</div>
<div>August 25, 2009 Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425, or</div>
<div>09-34 Dan Postrel, 503-945-7420</div>
<div> </div>
<div>At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Oregon Board of Forestry will consider moving forward with new draft rules that would change management plans for several state-owned forests, including the Tillamook State Forest.</div>
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<div>If adopted, after a rulemaking process that would include opportunities for public comment, the rules would revise approaches for protecting wildlife species, and would reduce long-term goals for the percentage of forest acres that develop into older,
more complex stands.</div>
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<div>These measures would allow for an increase in timber harvest of about 5 percent over the current yearly target, while the forests would continue to produce a broad range of sustainable benefits, including wildlife habitat, recreation and clean water. </div>
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<div>The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oregon Garden hotel, 895 W. Main St., Silverton.</div>
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<div>At the meeting, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will ask the board for permission to proceed with rulemaking, a process that is expected to include one or more public hearings and other comment opportunities before final rules come to the board
for adoption next spring.</div>
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<div>As part of its ongoing effort to improve the management of state forests, the board will also consider a longer term plan for refining its definition of “greatest permanent value,” the standard that must be used by law to manage the forests for broad benefits.</div>
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<div>This process would include use of advisory committees to provide input into the development of rule concepts for the board to review next spring. The board could then choose to advance one or more of those concepts for public review through the rulemaking
process.</div>
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<div>Other items on the board’s Sept. 9 agenda: </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify; "><b>Review of Private Forests Program policy objectives</b></div>
<div>The board will continue its work on 10 objectives being developed to address current and emerging challenges faced by Oregon’s private forest landowners. The objectives identify issues that include: </div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 39pt; ">
<li>Development of non-timber markets, such as biomass and carbon sequestration.</li><li>Maintaining Oregon’s position in the forest products world marketplace. </li><li>Addressing the risks of conversion of forestland to non-forest uses.</li></ul>
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<div><b>Sustainable forest management indicators update</b></div>
<div>ODF staff will report on recent work on a set of indicators of sustainable forest management that the board endorsed in 2007. The board will learn the status of work on five indicators, addressing topics such as water quality and biological integrity of
forest streams, forest products sector vitality, and forest ecosystem services.</div>
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<div><b>Board of Forestry issue scan</b></div>
<div>Results of the recently completed 2009 issue scan will be presented to the board. The scan is conducted periodically to gain public input that helps the board determine which forestry-related issues it should address in the future. The process produced
215 suggestions from about 104 individuals and organizations.</div>
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<div><b>Update on stream temperature project</b></div>
<div>Staff will report initial findings of the long-term Riparian Function and Stream Temperature monitoring project (RipStream). The ongoing project is evaluating the effectiveness of Oregon's stream protection rules under the Forest Practices Act, which includes
ensuring that forest operations meet state water quality standards adopted under the federal Clean Water Act.</div>
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<div>The meeting is open to the public, and comments will be received on forestry-related items not included in the agenda during a public comment period shortly after 8 a.m. Members of the public wishing to comment on specific agenda items will have an opportunity
to address the board during the time each item is scheduled. </div>
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<div>Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance can be arranged by calling the ODF Agency Affairs Office at least 48 hours before the meeting - 503-945-7200, text telephone 503-945-7213. </div>
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<div>More information on the Board of Forestry can be found at <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/"><u>www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/</u></a>. Background information on agenda items for the Sept. 9 meeting is available through the 2009 Meeting Schedule link.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center; "><b>Forestry Board to host Dynamic Ecosystems workshop Sept. 8</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; "> </div>
<div>For immediate release Major media distribution</div>
<div>August 25, 2009 Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425, or</div>
<div>09-35 Dan Postrel, 503-945-7420</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The Oregon Board of Forestry will host a workshop on Sept. 8 to highlight and discuss an effort to link the management of Oregon’s forests with latest scientific understanding of the ways in which ecosystems change. </div>
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<div>Scientists today recognize forests are not static systems that, if left undisturbed by humans, will remain in equilibrium over time. Nor is the change always gradual. Rather, the life of a forest tends to be marked by episodes of significant change, such
as wildfires, insect outbreaks, and storms and floods. </div>
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<div>How to apply this concept to forest management and forest policies in Oregon will be a key focus of the workshop. </div>
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<div>“This workshop is a major milestone in the Board of Forestry’s Dynamic Forest Ecosystems work plan,” said David Morman with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “The goal of the work plan is to promote the science, information acquisition and analysis systems
that are essential for developing sound natural resource policies” for Oregon’s forests within the context of natural disturbance and active management.</div>
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<div>Presentations will include:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 39pt; ">
<li>Natural Resource Management Policy Change in a Changed World – Brent Steel, Oregon State University (OSU)</li><li>Four Strategies for Change – James Johnston, Institute for Natural Resources, OSU</li></ul>
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<div>Breakout sessions will discuss ways to apply ecosystem dynamics to:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 39pt; ">
<li>Wildfire management</li><li>Privately owned forests</li><li>State-owned forests</li></ul>
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<div>The Department of Forestry contracted with Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources (INR) in 2007 to launch the Dynamic Ecosystems Project. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been a cooperator throughout the project.
To initiate the project, the INR assembled a team of eight principal investigators from INR, the OSU system and the U.S. Forest Service. The team produced a paper that offers seven different strategies for forest policy change.</div>
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<div>The workshop is open to the public. It will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Oregon Garden Resort, 895 West Main St., in Silverton. </div>
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<div>Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance 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). </div>
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<div>Background information on the Dynamic Forest Ecosystems work plan process can be found at: <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/odf"><u>www.oregon.gov/odf</u></a>. Click on the link, “Ecosystem dynamics and forest management” shown under “Spotlight on ODF.”</div>
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<div>More information on the Board of Forestry can be found at <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/"><u>www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/</u></a>. Background information on the agenda items is available through the 2009 Meeting Schedule link.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center; "> </div>
<div>Questions about the Private Forests News service?</div>
<div>Contact:</div>
<div>Kevin Weeks</div>
<div>Oregon Department of Forestry</div>
<div>(503) 945-7427</div>
<div>kweeks@odf.state.or.us</div>
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