Oregon Proposes Long-Term Forest Plan for Logging and Conservation

The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has proposed a new forest management plan that would guide how state-owned forests west of the Cascades are managed over the next 70 years, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported (1-20-26).

ODF staff say the plan will allow them to adapt as scientific understanding evolves and the climate changes. Environmental groups, however, argue the proposal is too vague and does not go far enough to protect mature and complex forests that play a key role in addressing climate change.

Forest management plans typically establish high-level goals and strategies, which are then used by state and federal agencies to develop shorter-term plans that determine which forest stands will be logged and which will be conserved.

The proposed plan is designed to align with the Western State Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), a 70-year agreement with the federal government intended to ensure state logging activities comply with the Endangered Species Act. The HCP outlines conservation measures meant to offset the environmental impacts of logging and is awaiting federal approval, which state officials expect by the end of March.

If approved, the HCP would significantly reshape logging on Oregon state lands, and it would prohibit timber harvests on about 43% of western state forests. ODF said the new forest management plan reflects that anticipated shift.