Oregon is entering the home stretch of debate over a controversial plan that would scale back logging on state forests , but before making a final recommendation, state forester Cal Mukumoto wants to hear from the public.
Mukumoto is hosting three listening sessions to hear final thoughts on the Western Oregon Forest Management Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan, which will guide timber harvest on 640,000 acres of state forest for the next 70 years.
In-person sessions will take place in Eugene Thursday night, online on Jan. 29 and in Astoria on Jan. 31.
Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan a contentious issue
The HCP in particular has turned into a political hot potato that was scheduled to be adopted last autumn but has dragged into the new year due largely over disagreements on how much timber to harvest and how much forest to protect.
The HCP was crafted to bring the state in line with the federal Endangered Species Act — and avoid costly lawsuits — but it would scale back logging and revenue generated on state-owned forests. Counties that rely on timber revenue to fund county services, like Clatsop and Tillamook, have worried the plan will bring significant hardship while putting some timber operators out of work.