Oregon Dept. of Forestry Unveils Final Operations Plans for FY2025

On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) released its finalized Annual Operations Plans (AOP) that describe the variety of projects planned for state forests for the fiscal year 2025. According to the press release, these include planned timber sales for each district; recreation projects, such as the installation of a bridge; or other types of forest projects, such as stream enhancement or restoration projects.

ODF received 1,061 written comments during the public comment period from April 3rd to May 17th.

ODF State Forest Division Deputy Chief Nick Palazzotto said, “We thank an engaged public for robust feedback representing many diverse perspectives. It is challenging to balance the department’s legal obligation to manage state forests for social, economic, and environmental outcomes—a concept referred to as Greatest Permanent Value.”

Some comments resulted in edits to specific timber sales while others are addressed in a high-level summary of the comments received highlighting the major themes, topics, and agency responses.

“We read and consider every comment,” said Palazzotto. “However, we do not respond to each one individually. Instead, we develop a summary document with broad categories that capture the comments and provides our responses to the public commentary.”

The summary document is broken down into the following sections:

• Recreation
• Climate Change and Carbon
• Timber Harvest
• Aquatic, Wildlife, and Plant
• Roads, Slopes and Water Quality
• Specific Sales
• Process and Document Improvement
• Out of Scope

The FY25 annual operations summary documents are available for ODF’s Astoria, Forest Grove, Klamath-Lake, North Cascade, Tillamook, West Oregon, and Western Lane districts.