Late last night, representatives from conservation and angling organizations and the timber industry reached an agreement over new rules for the Oregon Forest Practices Act. 13 conservation and fishing groups joined 13 timber representatives to negotiate these new rules beginning in early 2020.
The parties agreed on a framework for:
- Riparian buffers for streams, rivers, and bodies of water;
- Steep slopes protection to minimize erosion and protect habitat;
- An approach moving forward to improve forest roads; and
- A path forward to make adjustments and adaptation to forest practices in the future
The Governor announced this agreement in a press release today.
Bob Van Dyk, Wild Salmon Center on behalf of the conservation and angling negotiators in the Private Forest Accord:
We are thrilled to join the Governor and timber industry counterparts on a new path for Oregon’s forests and for our organizations. The measures we announced today provide significant new protections for our imperiled salmon, recreational and commercial fisheries, and for the communities that rely on these resources.
Of equal importance, the agreement provides long-term certainty for landowners, large and small, who can continue to manage their lands with confidence that regulations are stable and that a strong and collaborative science process will drive future changes.
Given the increasingly damaging effects of climate change, the strategies we agreed on are even more urgent.
It will be no surprise that this was a difficult process for everyone. We all had to stretch. We all made painful compromises. No one got everything they wanted. We deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment of our industry counterparts and the Governor and her facilitation team.
We look forward to building on the new, collaborative spirit of this agreement to pass it into law in the short term and to implement the agreement in the years ahead.
