Elliott State Forest on Agenda, July 23

The Oregon Board of Forestry is scheduled to provide direction on rules designed to keep stream temperatures cool, receive an update on future scenarios for the Elliott State Forest, and hear a status report on the 2015 wildfire season when it meets July 23 in Salem. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Tillamook Room, Administration Building (C), at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters, 2600 State St., in Salem. The meeting is open to the public. AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS: DRAFTING RULES FOR STREAMSIDE SHADE BUFFERS – Working with all interests to set stream buffer sizes that keep streams cool, and balance environmental and economic outcomes, the Board will continue work on a streamside (also known as riparian) buffer rule analysis process. Streamside buffer rules ensure streams are shaded and provide a blueprint for where to leave trees during a timber harvest. The Board last revised these streamside buffer rules in the 1990s to further protect water quality, and included monitoring to ensure effectiveness. In 2012 as part of their adaptive management approach, the Board began analyzing streamside buffer rules based on Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) monitoring results for small and medium fish streams. The research showed that the rules fell short of the “protecting cold water (PCW)” standard, which means stream temperature should not rise more than one-half degree Fahrenheit due to human activity, where salmon, steelhead, and bull trout are present. ODF staff will present additional information for evaluating streamside rules and a policy framework for informing a decision on which solutions to further pursue for rulemaking. ELLIOTT STATE FOREST ALTERNATIVES PROJECT UPDATE – The Department of State Lands (DSL) will update the Board of Forestry on a project to develop alternative ownership and management options for the Elliott State Forest located between Coos Bay and Reedsport. DSL owns most of the Elliott State Forest, which is chiefly Common School Forestland. The Department of Forestry manages the forest for DSL under the purview of the State Land Board.