Forest Web

The Elliott State Forest is comprised of 93,000 acres of coastal rainforest spread across Coos and Douglas counties in Oregon.  It provides unique and critical habitat for endangered species such as the Marbled Murrelet and the Northern Spotted Owl.  Its waterways contain sensitive fish species, including Coho salmon, Coastal Cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey.  Over half of the Elliott contains never-logged mature forests naturally regenerated after a major fire 1868 made up of Douglas-fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Bigleaf Maple, and Red Alder. 

 

 

Management Structure for the Elliott State Forest 

 

The State Land Board (SLB) http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/SLB/Pages/index.aspx  is composed of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer and has ultimate constitutional and legal responsibility for the matters within the scope of the Department of State Lands http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Pages/index.aspx which manages the SLB’s assets. The Oregon Board of Forestry http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Pages/board/index.aspx is responsible for forest policy and oversight of forest management practices within the state of Oregon. The board also appoints the state forester and oversees the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) http://www.oregon.gov/odf/Pages/index.aspx.  ODF contracts with the State Land Board to develop timber sales.  90% of the Elliott is managed by the State Land Board with a portion of the funds from timber sales going to schools while the other 10% of this state forest are Board of Forestry lands with logging funds apportioned to Oregon counties.  

 

Controversy over the proposed changes to the Forest Management Plan need link (FMP) arose in 2011, culminating in organized rally at the State Land Board’s meeting to vote on the new FMP. Despite the efforts of many environmental groups in Oregon, the FMP was approved by the land board in October 2011.  a new management plan aims to increase annual net revenue from the forest to $13 million, up from $8 million. It would achieve this by increasing the annual timber harvest to 40 million board feet culled from 1,100 acres (450 ha), of which about three-fourths could be clearcut. The former management plan, adopted in 1995, called for 25 million board feet from 1,000 acres (400 ha), half of it clearcut.[5] 

 

The plan also changed the way in which the forest is managed to protect threatened and endangered species such as spotted owls, marbled murrelets, and Coho salmon. Supporters of the new plan say it will benefit wildlife by making more acres off-limits to logging than had been reserved for owls, murrelets, and watershed protection under the old plan. Opponents of the plan say it will damage habitat and harm wildlife. They would prefer a plan that promotes thinning of young trees, avoids clear-cutting, and seeks other ways of raising revenue from the CSF lands.[5]