ODF release – SALEM, Ore.— The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will host three in-person and one virtual information sessions to explain the proposed rule changes to Oregon Forest Practices Act (FPA). The meetings will be open house style with 45-minutes of presentations followed by an hour-long question and answer period at various stations. The virtual session will feature the same presentations followed by a group question and answer period. The FPA changes are the result of agreements reached between timber industry and conservation group representatives and formalized in the Private Forest Accord (PFA), and with the passage of Senate Bills 1501 and 1502. The changes to the FPA assure the timber industry long-term regulatory certainty while providing environmental protections sought by conservation groups. The Legislature directed ODF to work with the accord authors to make changes to the administrative rules that govern forest operations, known collectively as the Forest Practices Act. The information sessions are to help people understand the proposed changes so they can make formal public comments either at the virtual hearings or by written submission by the Sept. 30 deadline. The in-person sessions will be at: Roseburg: Douglas County Fairgrounds, Cascade West Hall, Location: 2110 SW Frear Street Roseburg, OR 97471, Date: Sept. 15, Time: 5-7 p.m.
