Land Board Bails on Elliott Solution
The long-running saga of the Elliott State Forest in Southwestern Oregon has just been extended for an unknowable length by the State Land Board. The SLB, made up of Governor Kate Brown, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler and Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, rejected a comprehensive plan from Lone Rock Timber Management Partners, the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
At a packed hearing on December 13th, school boards, school administrators and teachers all testified in support of the sale to Lone Rock and the Oregon Tribes. Evidently, the Governor and Treasurer were moved by the 80 people that demonstrated, begged and threatened the SLB to reject the sale and decouple the Elliott from the revenue mandate of the Common School Fund.
Previously, the SLB called for selling the Elliott to an entity that would protect the oldest forests, provide wide stream buffers, keep the forest open for recreation and produce 40 jobs. The August 2015 decision to sell came after failing to produce revenue and in fact costing the Common School Fund millions of dollars rather than producing revenue as it had since 1930.
Following prior SLB action to increase timber production from the Elliott, environmentalists sued to stop timber management in Marbled Murrelet habitat. Rather than fight the suit and continue to offer timber sales outside of Marble Murrelet habitat, the State surrendered without a trial and paid $400,000 in attorney fees.
Fifty entities had expressed interest in purchasing the Elliott. However, after the SLB set the no-bid purchase price at $220.8 million only Lone Rock and the Oregon Tribes were interested. Prior to the restrictions, the SLB placed on the future owner of the Elliott, experts estimated the Elliott’s value at more than $400 million.
From Scott Hayes:
ReplyDeleteI believe the "experts" were forced to undervalue the Elliott due to non-science based set asides for T&E species. Closer to $1 billion than $400 million. As for the vast sea of old growth that protesters imagine, most of the older timber came after the 1868 Coos Bay fire which started near Scotsburg and destroyed everything southwest to Coos Bay. Surveyor notes in the early 1900s note a sea of snags, brush and little natural regeneration… although it was there. The question is why, from 1880-1940, did Coos Bay support a huge salmon canning industry? What happened to the murrelets and spotted owls? Answer: they all adapt to change, including episodic harvests using good forest management.
Scott Hayes, you are right about the see of old growth. At a previous land board meeting, Jerry Phillips tried to respond to someone testifying that it was all old growth. I grabbed his arm and tried to assure Jerry the person wouldn't listen to him. I think at the same meeting a much too young commenter said that "in fact, any tree over 60 was old growth!!!" Yikes I guess we have exceeded our mean annual increment.
ReplyDeleteI quoted $400 million after the very learned John Charles, from Cascade Policy Institute, stated that figure at the State Land Board Meeting. I think John came up with the $1 billion number when he proposed selling the Elliott 200.
Too bad a school district won't sue for the state failing to maximize revenue to the Common School Fund.
Instead, Governor Brown is going to ask the legislature for $100 million to buy a piece of land that Oregon already owns...