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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><a name="OLE_LINK317"></a><a name="OLE_LINK316"><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY – News Release<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>Elliott State Forest road gating ends on November 4<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>November 3, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>Contact: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'><br>Kevin Weeks, ODF Public Affairs (503) 689-6879 mobile and (503) 945-7427 office <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>Certain roads in the Elliott State Forest southeast of Reedsport that were closed to public vehicle access on September 2 as a public safety measure, and to ensure that the state could meet its contractual timber sale obligations, will be opened to public vehicle access on Friday, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has announced.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>Several areas of the forest will remain closed to public entry in order to ensure public safety during active timber harvest operations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>Road 8100 will also remain closed to vehicular traffic for public safety and resource protection.<br></span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'> <br>ODF, which manages the forest on behalf of the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands, closed the roads to public vehicle access in September to provide for public safety and to ensure that timber sales could be completed in a safe and timely manner in accordance with timber sale contracts. The roads were closed in response to substantially increased use by the public, including entry into areas that had been closed during tree felling operations, creating public safety and law enforcement concerns. These activities have not occurred recently, and a significant number of timber sales in the road closure area have now been completed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>A top priority for (ODF) is safety for all forest users in the Elliott State Forest, including reducing potential conflicts from vehicle traffic encountering heavy equipment, log trucks and other traffic associated with sale activities on narrow forest roads.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>For additional information about area closures in the Elliott State Forest, go to the Oregon Department of Forestry’s web site: </span><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/STATE_FORESTS/elliottsafety.shtml"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>www.oregon.gov/ODF/STATE_FORESTS/elliottsafety.shtml</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>You can also receive updated information about Elliott State Forest gate or area closures by following us on Twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/ElliottSF"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>http://twitter.com/ElliottSF</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'> <br> <br>The Elliott State Forest is a working, publicly-owned forest and provides revenues from timber harvests for Oregon’s 197 K-12 public school districts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;color:black'>###</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><a name="OLE_LINK1"></a><a name="OLE_LINK295"></a><a name="OLE_LINK296"></a><a name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a name="OLE_LINK318">Kevin Weeks<o:p></o:p></a></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Public Information Officer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Oregon Department of Forestry<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Public Affairs Office<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>(503) 945-7427 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>