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| State Land Board approves Elliott State Forest recommendations |
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| 02/09/2010 |
For immediate release 10-03
More information: Julie Curtis – 503-986-5298; julie.curtis@state.or.us
Strategy includes December 2011 deadline for reaching agreement on species protection
Salem – A multi-faceted strategy for determining harvest levels and species protection on the Elliott State Forest was approved today by the State Land Board at their public meeting.
The board approved the following four steps:
- In collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Oregon Department of State Lands and the Oregon Department of Forestry will initiate an independent scientific review of aquatic/riparian management strategies to help resolve differing viewpoints on protecting streams and aquatic habitat.
- Set a Dec. 31, 2011, deadline for completing approval of a revised Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that is acceptable to the Oregon Department of Forestry, Department of State Lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and NMFS. If a new plan is not approved by this date, the 1995 HCP will be terminated and a take avoidance strategy will be implemented to protect threatened and endangered (T&E) species on the forest.
- Concurrent with the above, develop a revised Forest Management Plan that would use take avoidance for management of T&E species on the Elliott, and have the revised plan in place by Dec. 31, 2011, if a new HCP is not approved.
- Concurrent with the above work, develop a sound understanding of carbon market opportunities for the Elliott State Forest. The overall goal is to achieve a 3-5 percent return on the forest's value, in conjunction with the preferred management strategy determined by Dec. 31, 2011. At today's meeting, five panelists presented the board with general information on the current status and future opportunities for carbon market credits.
"This is an opportunity to reach agreement with the federal government on protecting federally-listed species within the Elliott State Forest and establishing certainty on harvest levels so that local communities, our wood products sector and our schools can better plan for the future," said Gov. Ted Kulongoski, chair of the Land Board.
"Moreover, this strategy presents an exciting opportunity to explore carbon market credits to increase the economic and environmental benefits derived from our state forests. In partnership with the federal agencies we can achieve a plan that assures forest and ecosystem health and sustained benefits for future generations," he said.
The State Land Board owns about 91 percent of the 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest, which is an asset of the Common School Fund. Twice a year, the board sends distributions from the earnings of the fund to Oregon's 197 public school districts. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the forest for the board and Department of State Lands.
The State Land Board consists of Governor Theodore Kulongoski, Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ben Westlund. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon's Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit.
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