Oregon’s Secretary of State Bev Clarno in her release dated Friday, Oct. 23, included a report on the Elliott State Forest of Southwest Oregon. Elliott State Forest – As a member of the State Land Board, we have the challenging task of determining the best proposal for management of the Elliott State Forest. In 2018, the State Land Board asked the Department of State Lands to look into the possibility of working with Oregon State University to make the Elliott State Forest a publicly owned research forest. Key elements of a research forest proposal have now been drafted with the help of advisory committees, Tribes, state and local governments, stakeholders, and the public. I encourage you to take a look at the proposal and participate in the process by sharing your thoughts on how this forest can best serve the varied needs of our state while fulfilling our constitutional obligations. There will be two remote presentation and Q&A sessions with Department of State Lands and Oregon State University on October 26th and November 5th, as well as informal drop-in Zoom sessions that will occur on October 27th, 29th, November 4th and 6th. All of these sessions are open to the public. Department of State Lands has created a website for the Elliott State Forest research proposal. On the website you can find details for the draft proposal, information on the remote sessions, and ways to provide feedback. The Department asks that feedback be provided by November 13th in order to prepare for the State Land Board meeting on December 8th, where we will make a determination on next steps for this forest.
