Informational Session On Proposed State Forests Forest Management Plan Set For Jan. 6 - 12/29/25
SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will host a virtual only informational session on a proposed rule change to adopt a new Forest Management Plan (FMP) for western Oregon state forest lands managed by the department. The Jan. 6 session starts at 1 p.m. and will include a presentation outlining the purpose and proposed changes to the FMP. After the presentation there will be a question-and-answer period.
ODF staff will NOT take official public comments during this session, it is informational only. The public comment period began Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. Comments can be submitted or given in person at any of four formal hearings in January. Comments can be submitted electronically. No question-and-answer period will be offered at the hearings.
To participate in the information session, use this link: Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan Informational Meeting. A recording of the session will be available on ODF’s website.
The proposed change to the FMP will replace the three current FMPs (Northwest Oregon, Southwest Oregon, and Elliott) with a single FMP for these forest lands. The ODF’s State Forests Division is pursuing an alternative method for compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act by applying for incidental take permits from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Fisheries. The incidental take permits will require the division to manage Oregon state forest lands in compliance with a habitat conservation plan.
The Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan contains guiding principles, goals, and strategies that are compatible with the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan. The Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan provides management direction for all Board of Forestry Lands and Common School Forest Lands managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry west of the crest of the Cascade Range.
The FMP does NOT include the Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF). The ESRF is not within the scope of the draft Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan. There are scattered Board of Forestry Lands within and adjacent to the ESRF, along with scattered Common School Forest Lands outside of the ESRF that are still managed under prior Elliott State Forest Management Plan which will be managed under the new Western Oregon State Forests Management Plan, once adopted. The ESRF has its own management plan, under the authority of the Department of State Lands.
The Board of Forestry may review, modify, or terminate the FMP at any time; however, the BOF will review the FMP no less than every 10 years. The current Southwest and Northwest FMPs were last revised in 2010, while the Elliott FMP was last revised in 2011. More information about State Forests Management Plans can be found here.
Public comments on the proposed rule will be accepted from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 at 11:55 p.m. Rulemaking hearings will be held on Jan. 13 (virtual), Jan.15 (Forest Grove), Jan. 20 (Tillamook), and Jan. 22 (Eugene) at 5:30 p.m. The locations of the hearings are in The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The notice also includes important details including but not limited to the proposed rule text and instructions for submitting public comments and participating in the hearings.
More information on this rulemaking effort and ongoing updates can be found on the Rulemaking activity page of the ODF website.