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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Oregon Department of Forestry issued this news release today.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>October 8, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.5in;text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Contact: Jim Cathcart 503-945-7493 </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Cynthia Orlando 503-945-7421</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Stewardship Coordinating Committee meets Oct.11 in Salem<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Oregon’s Stewardship Coordinating Committee advises the State Forester on incentive programs for family forestland owners and meets this coming Thursday, October 11, 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The committee − consisting of state and federal natural resource agency representatives, private forest landowners, consulting foresters, and members of forest industry and conservation organizations − meets from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this coming Thursday in the Santiam meeting room at Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) headquarters in Salem. The committee advises the State Forester about U.S. Forest Service policies and procedures, including Forest Legacy and Forest Stewardship programs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The focus of Thursday’s meeting is the evaluation and ranking of Forest Legacy propoals for the Fiscal Year 2014 funding cycle. <span style='color:black'>The Forest Legacy Program addresses privately-owned forestlands that face threats to conversion to non-forest use by urbanization, rural residential development, parcelization (the breaking up of large forestland tracts of single ownership into smaller tracts with multiple owners) and other development pressures. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Forest Legacy provides funds for the purchase of development rights to eligible private forestlands through conservation easement, or, fee-title acquisition into public ownership. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Not more than 3 proposals will be recommended, totaling $10 million or less in Forest Legacy Program fund request. Forest Legacy proposals are being recommended to the State Forester for submittal to the Forest Legacy National Review Panel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Stewardship Coordinating Committee also serves as the forestry subcommittee to the Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (OTAC), advising both the USDA Farm Services Agency and USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service on federal farm and forestry assistance programs. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Public invited<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Members of the public are invited to attend and participate. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7368.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>More information: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Additional information about the Stewardship Coordinating Committee: <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/odf/privateforests/pages/stewardshipcoordinatingcommittee.aspx">www.oregon.gov/odf/privateforests/pages/stewardshipcoordinatingcommittee.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Information about the Forest Legacy Program: </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/privateforests/pages/forestlegacy.aspx">www.oregon.gov/ODF/privateforests/pages/forestlegacy.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'>###</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>