Column: Public speaks up to urge Board of Forestry to move forward with state forest protections

There was a great showing of the conservation community at the June 7th Board of Forestry meeting in Sisters, Oregon testifying to urge the Board to move forward with the Western Forests Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). 78 people commented on the HCP with 55 people in support and 23 opposed. That’s 71% of comments in support of the HCP. Public participation has been critical in this process as the timber industry has been aggressively campaigning to derail the draft HCP due to unfounded claims that it will lead to fewer jobs and timber revenue. According to the Department of Forestry, the HCP would increase timber jobs by at least 10 percent in Clatsop County, and more than 40 percent in Tillamook County over the duration of the 70 year plan. The Board of Forestry is set to vote on approving the draft HCP in the next few months.

The geography of concern for this plan primarily includes the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests that stretch across more than 500,000 acres in Northwest Oregon. Between Portland and the coast, these forests contain some of the region’s last remaining wild rivers, popular recreation opportunities from hiking to fishing, as well as important nesting areas for endangered bird species like the Marbled Murrelet and Spotted Owl that are barely hanging on in these places. These forests have been hammered by clearcuts. A lot of this harvest has occurred on steep slopes, which typify these forests, and has led to water quality issues which impacts drinking water and endangered salmon populations.

The draft HCP offers a step in the right direction by providing better protection of water and habitats while still allowing sustainable timber harvest. The Plan would conserve important wildlife and recreation corridors including the Nehalem River, Kings Mountain, and the Wilson River. All salmon streams will have wider forested buffers and in Riparian Conservation Areas (RCAs) that would cover 35,000 acres. Habitat Conservation Areas (HCAs) in upland areas covering 275,000 acres would be established with the goal of creating more complex forested habitat with larger trees beneficial for listed species like the spotted owl and murrelet. About 50% of these forests would have these new protections and management goals. Outside of these areas, the timber industry would be able to conduct their business as usual with fewer costs and constraints through “incidental take permits” which streamline their ability to harvest trees.

We hoped the HCP would go further to provide protections. For example in Washington’s Trust Lands HCP average riparian (river and stream) zone buffers are wider compared to what is proposed in Oregon. Despite this, we recognize this is a compromise that is years in the making and will move in the direction of securing needed protections for habitats, wildlife, and fish while ensuring safe drinking water, moving toward carbon sequestration goals, and providing economic security for local communities.

The adoption of the HCP is important but it will not be a cure-all and we will need to continue to watch how the plan is implemented. Every year ODF comes out with Annual Operating Plans (AOPs) that details where and how they plan to harvest in the coming year. We will need to track these annual harvest plans to ensure they are being done in line with the HCP goals. For example, harvest will still be allowed in some HCAs but it must be done in a way that creates high quality habitat.

For now, we need to continue to push to ensure that the HCP is voted through by the Board of Forestry in the coming months. Thank you for your public comment to date to get us this far. Stay tuned for public comment opportunities in the coming months to help us cross the finish line.

To learn how you can help protect coastal birds and wildlife visit: audubonportland.org

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