Elliott Forest legislative hearing chaos

Lynne Terry || OREGON CAPITOL CHRONICLE

A legislative Ways & Means subcommittee hosted a chaotic hearing on the proposed Elliott Research Forest in Salem Monday.

The state has been working on transforming the Elliott, Oregon’s oldest state forest, into a research forest since 2017. Key partner Oregon State University, which has led the entire process, abruptly withdrew from the project last November, leaving the project in the hands of Department of State Lands, a tiny state agency with no expertise in forestry or research.

Monday’s Ways & Means subcommittee hearing was held to discuss DSL’s request that the legislature transfer to them $4 million in Elliott funding originally intended for OSU so that DSL can, in the words of DSL Elliott Manager Brett Brownscombe, “cobble together a plan” to replace and refine the work of over 100 contributors to OSU’s proposed Elliott Forest Management plan, which DSL plans to keep in place.

DSL offered no details on how the $4 million is to be spent. OSU’s withdrawal cancels the legislature’s mandate to transfer the Elliott from the Common School Fund to a secretive brand-new state agency, the Elliott Research Authority, to be managed by Oregon State University, throwing the entire $221 million project for the Elliott Forest’s 82,000 acres into limbo.

The legislature funded the buyout of the Elliott from the Common School Fund for $221 million, but since OSU withdrew its support the proposed new state Elliott Research Forest Authority authorized under SB1546 will not be created, and the forest remains in the hands of DSL.

The subcommittee heard charges and counterclaims thrown by two members of the would-be Elliott Forest Authority Board of Directors and further complaints by OSU Dean of Forestry Tom Deluca. Deluca charged DSL with an Elliott plan which slights research and called for inclusion of genuine forest researchers on the Elliott board.

Bob Salinger, formerly with Portland Audubon and now a private consultant, complained that neither the tribes or OSU had  honored their agreements. Colin Beck, tribal forester, complained that DSL was not listening to tribal concerns and has called for a “pause” to Elliott negotiations. Salinger complained that OSU wanted to clearcut too many acres and that their proposed management plan was extravagant and unaffordable.

Considering that Salinger, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians forester Beck and Beck’s father, Paul Beck of Douglas Timber Operators compose most of the proposed research forest’s managing board, the committee hearing opened a can of worms that Subcommittee co-chair Dembrow observed would take a lot of close scrutiny by the legislature to resolve.

George Custer

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George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.

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