<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.5921" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY><!-- Converted from text/plain format -->
<P>Oregon Dept. of Forestry<BR>NEWS RELEASE<BR><BR>Jan. 26, 2010<BR>Contact:
Jeff Foreman, 503-945-7506<BR><BR><STRONG>Oregon's state-owned forests topic of
Forestry Board meeting February 10.<BR></STRONG><BR><BR><BR>The Board of
Forestry on Wednesday, Feb. 10, will decide whether to approve a new state
forest near Gilchrist and weigh in on future management of the Elliott State
Forest between Coos Bay and Reedsport.<BR><BR>The meeting in Salem at the Oregon
Department of Forestry’s headquarters will begin at 8 a.m. Time for public
comments is scheduled. Forestry’s office is at 2600 State St.<BR><BR>A report on
recent public discussions about the "great permanent value" administrative rule
also will be presented to the board. A public advisory committee is studying
this rule, a standard to be used to manage state forests for broad
benefits.<BR><BR>The committee also is looking at the administrative rule for
developing forest management plans. The group was established to provide a wide
range of input on these rules. The board is expected to decide in the spring
what rule concepts to move forward toward specific rule language.<BR><BR>Gaining
board approval to acquire about 43,000 acres of forest land near Gilchrist in
northern Klamath County represents one of the final stages of an administrative
process to establish a new state forest, the first one in more than 60
years.<BR><BR>Lottery bonds totaling $15 million are being used to fund the
purchase. The Oregon Legislature approved the use of lottery dollars for this
purpose during its 2009 session. Acquisition has been strongly supported by the
local community and the Klamath County Board of Commissioners.<BR><BR>Conserving
the lands for forest values is the reason ODF sought to purchase the property
east of Highway 97. The lands are at risk of being fragmented and sold
separately for uses other than forestry.<BR><BR>Also on the agenda, the board is
expected to make a decision on a management pathway for the Elliott State
Forest. This action follows a similar decision by the State Land Board Feb.
9.<BR><BR>ODF and the Department of State Lands will recommend an alternative to
the long-sought federal habitat conservation plan (HCP) to protect threatened
and endangered species on the Elliott. Delays in a multi-year process with the
federal agencies triggered the alternative planning, which may be necessary if
current efforts to achieve an HCP are not met under expected
timelines. <BR><BR>For more information, contact Jeff Foreman at
503-945-7506.<BR><BR>###<BR><BR></P></BODY></HTML>