Oregon Board of Forestry, Nov. 5

The Oregon Board of Forestry will consider work completed by a board subcommittee on options for meeting the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality’s Protecting Cold Water temperature standard when it meets Nov. 5 in Salem. Subcommittee members will present two prescription packages for streamside buffers and a discussion guide for alternate prescriptions. This will inform the Board’s decision on what, if any, prescriptions to move into rule language and where they will apply. The meeting is open to the public, and a public comment period has been scheduled. OTHER AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS – Alternative Forest Management Plan Update – A board subcommittee working on alternative management plans for the northwestern state forests will report the outcomes of its Oct. 19 meeting and outline next steps. The subcommittee is tasked with recommending ways to provide sufficient revenue to fully implement an approved forest management plan that also increases conservation outcomes. Elliott State Forest transfer opportunity – The Department of State Lands (DSL) is seeking proposals from entities interested in owning the Elliott State Forest. The Oregon Department of Forestry’s State Forests’ staff will update the board on DSL’s process. Barred owl research project/safe harbor agreement – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff will describe the Barred Owl Removal Experiment that the federal agency is implementing as part of the Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan. Additionally, ODF will provide an update on discussions with the USFWS to obtain a Safe Harbor Agreement for State Forest lands in the Western Lane District that are within the treatment area of the project. Fire season 2015 update – The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Protection Division will provide a status report to the board on the 2015 wildfire season, including a briefing on coordination with forest landowners and ODF’s federal, state and local agency partners in Oregon’s fire protection system. The summer of 2015 was the third consecutive severe fire season in the state. MEETING DETAILS – 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. A general public comment period on items not listed on the agenda is scheduled near the start of the meeting. Public comment on specific agenda items will be received as the board deliberates. Agenda materials will be available prior to the meeting at: www.oregon.gov/ODF/Board/Pages/BOFMeetings.aspx