A vote on Tuesday by the Oregon State Land Board unanimously supported taking the next steps to create an 80,000-arce Research Forest out of the Elliot State Forest, the full OSLB Meeting is available to the public via the Oregon Department of State Lands Youtube page. The vote also acknowledged that more work still needs to be done before the transfer of ownership could occur.
The Elliot State Forest is located in southwest Oregon and is comprised of 80,000 acres. Supporters of the proposal by Oregon State to turn it into a research forest say that it will provide many options for scientific study which could help improve forest management techniques along with allowing public access and timber harvesting.
So far, the proposal has been in review for two years and has involved OSU, the Oregon Department of State Lands, and an Advisory Committee made of up experts from various industries and fields of study. Most notably are Gov. Kate Brown, Secretary of State Bev Clarno and State Treasurer Tobias Read.
Members of the committee, including Brown, were impressed with the work being done to create the proposal, as well as the negotiations taking place. OPB reported that Brown said “Instead of crisis and chaos, we are moving towards a collective voice of collaboration.” Competing interests include issues around conservation, logging, and research, as well as public access for recreation.
The proposal is not without its critics, and Brown said that over the next two years it will be important to address concerns. Some of the largest issues include ensuring the proposal takes into consideration climate change, wildlife habitat conservation and the decoupling of the Elliot State Forest from the Common School Fund, which will result in the loss of a projected $121 million in revenue for schools in the state.
Brown also encouraged OSU to add in experts from other areas of the college aside from the College of Forestry. “I think the work will be much better informed” Brown said, “if the entirety of the University is brought into this conversation. It makes for a more comprehensive and collective approach.” The concerns come from more than 1,700 public comments, some of which requested an independent committee selected by a non-OSU entity which would help to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of the forest.
Dean of the OSU College of Forestry, Tom DeLuca, commented that the proposal already has broad 
representation from the university planned. The proposal, going forward, will include professionals from the Colleges of Agriculture, Science, and Liberal Arts. “I think that most do not recognize that the college faculty that created the proposal was a collection of professors from an array of disciplines including soil science, hydrology, ecology, wildlife biology, social science, economics, [and] Policy.” told DeLuca. “There seems to be a perception that the college is just foresters and forest engineers.”
According to Deluca, the College of Forestry will move forward with the proposal, in partnership with the Department of State Lands, as well as with contributions from stakeholders and the public. The next step is to finalize the proposal and create a forest management plan.
By Kyra Young
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