October 16, 2024 4:00 a.m.
Oregon’s first state forest is officially its first research forest.
A release from the Oregon Department of State Lands said on Tuesday the State Land Board approved the Elliot State Research Forest Management Plan, which establishes the forest as a nationally important center for forest science and management that also contributes multiple benefits to Oregon.
The forest management plan will guide the Department of State Lands in managing the research forest for multiple values, including conservation, education, recreation, Indigenous culture, and support for local economies.
Department of State Lands Director Vicki Walker said, “Coming to an agreement on the Elliot’s future as a publicly owned research forest was itself an amazing achievement”. Walked said, “Putting that vision on paper as a forest management plan took tremendous effort by many. The plan approved today honors the foundations laid in years of collaboration, while also allowing space for ongoing efforts to realize the research forest’s many benefits.
The release said the Elliot was created as Oregon’s first state forest in the 1930s but had been mired in controversy since the early 2000s. People of many different perspectives – including conservation, timber, school funding, recreation, local government, and Tribes – came together to explore and ultimately endorse a research forest as the right solution for the Elliot.
The State Land Board’s approval of the initial forest management plan keeps the DSL on track for beginning operations in 2025. Next steps for implementing the plan include resolving the research partnership roles, continuing engagement with Tribes, and further developing plans for recreation, education, and aquatic restoration and monitoring in collaboration with government agencies, interested Tribes, local and statewide partners, and community members.
Based on its size, location, and approach, the Elliot is a one-of-a-kind research forest, said Brett Brownscombe, the ESRF transition direction, and the management plan reflects that.
Brownscombe said, “The research forest advanced by this plan is unique, not just for Oregon but nationally”. Brownscombe said, “Combining a Habitat Conservation Plan, a carbon project, and a research forest all on the same landscape would be precedent setting. In implementing this plan, we will be moving the Elliot into not only a new chapter in its history but a new realm in state land management”.
The Elliot State Research Forest is in Douglas and Coos counties.
News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN will go in-depth on the changes to the Elliot, on Inside Douglas County Thursday afternoon at 12:30 on News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN.