The Northwest and Southwest Oregon Regional Forest Practice Committees will meet Tuesday, July 7, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. This public meeting will be held at 785 North 42nd Street, Springfield. The Committees will receive an update about the Board of Forestry’s ongoing discussion and possible July decision about creating streamside shade buffers to meet the Department of Environmental Quality protecting cold water standards. Most of the morning will include discussion about the rulemaking status, whether the Committees want to weigh-in at the July Board meeting, and the Board’s rulemaking timeline. The balance of the meeting will include updates and discussion about: * Bald eagles’ recovery, and a technical report about their current population and threatened and endangered species listing status. * Strategies for monitoring the Forest Practices Act successes and opportunities. * Compliance audit of the Forest Practices Act rules and how to use it in the future. * Legislative activity, particularly the agency’s budget and bills about buffers for aerial spray applications and wildlife food plots. Regional Forest Practice Committees are citizen panels created to advise the Oregon Board of Forestry on current forestry issues and forest management approaches. Three Regional Forest Practice Committees, serving the Northwest, Southwest, and Eastern regions of the state, were created by the 1971 Oregon Forest Practices Act. Under Oregon law, a majority of Regional Forest Practice Committees members must be private forest landowners and logging or forest operations companies. Anyone may attend the meeting. The meeting is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. For questions about accessibility or special accommodations please call 503-945-7427. Oregon’s forests are among one of the state’s most valued resources, providing a balanced mix of environmental, economic and social benefits. Additional information about ODF’s Regional Forest Practice Committees is available on the Oregon Department of Forestry’s web site: www.oregon.gov/ODF/pages/board/rfpc/rfpc.aspx
