Proposal to replace timber safety net met with mixed reactions

Reaction was mixed Friday for a plan to sell off half of the O&C forest lands to establish a set of trust funds that would provide revenue for counties that rely on the federal timber safety net.

Francis Eatherington, conservation program director for Umpqua Watersheds, said the 2.4 million acres of O&C lands managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management are a "national treasure." She said they contain the last old growth and remnant native forests in the Coast Range and are valuable for wildlife and for the people who live there.

"Definitely, we don't want to sell off those lands to private interests," Eatherington said. "These are publicly owned forests and they have a lot of public benefits. Privatizing them doesn't solve any problems, especially for the long term."

Earlier Friday, the Association of O&C Counties proposed selling 1.2 million acres of O&C lands and using the money -- an estimated $12 billion -- to establish a set of four trust funds. The proposal was developed by Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson, who also serves as president of the association.

Investment earnings from one trust fund would be distributed to the 18 Oregon counties with O&C forest lands, while another would benefit the 780 counties in 39 states and Puerto Rico and more than 4,000 school districts that benefit from the safety net.

A third fund would be dedicated exclusively for education in Oregon, while the fourth would provide money to the BLM for management of the remaining 1.2 million acres of O&C lands.

Rick Sohn, president of Lone Rock Timber Management Co., said any plan that provides more locally harvested timber for Oregon mills would be valuable for the state's economy and for people living and working in local communities. It would also help cut company's dependence on logs coming from Washington state or Canada, he said.

He said it was also important to maintain forest health, to ensure that the timber stands remained viable over the long-term.

"If this will result in helping the county and get more local timber and provide forest health, it should be beneficial," Sohn said.

The proposal is significant in one regard, said Steve Pedery, conservation director for Oregon Wild. It gives recognition that the O&C lands have value beyond tree harvesting.

"The relevant counties have, it looks like, come to an understanding that these lands are important to all Oregonians," Pedery said. "They are not simply lands that should be managed solely for logging. These lands are valuable for recreation, hunting, fishing, clean water. It's good to see them recognize as that."

Pedery's group, which formerly was known as the Oregon Natural Resources Council, supports the extension of the safety net. And while not endorsing the proposal from the Association of O&C Counties, he said he found it intriguing.

Still, he said he believes it will face an uphill battle to win approval from Congress. He said he doesn't believe the American people, both inside Oregon and outside, will want to remove such a large amount of land from federal forest management.

However, the proposal may serve as a valuable starting point for discussion on other ideas, he said.

"I think there is the possibility of an agreement here that everyone can live with," Pedery said. "But it's going to involve these interest groups all sitting down and talking to each other and working it out, not talking past each other and looking to Congress to figure it out for them."

Bob Ragon, executive director of the Douglas Timber Operators, said he had been briefed on the plan before it was publicly released Friday. When he first heard about it, he said he scratched his head. He's still not sure it will be workable but said it could serve as a catalyst for further discussions.

"It may not be the ultimate solution, but it should get some people in Washington, D.C., thinking more seriously," Ragon said.



* You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.