Oregonians to Rally in Salem for Drastically Improved State Forest Practices
State Land Board Expected to Vote on Major Clearcutting Increase on Elliott State Forest

Salem, Ore.- Oregonians from across the state will descend on Salem tomorrow morning, October 11, at 9:30 am to demonstrate against the egregious forest practices on state forestlands. The State Land Board, made up of Governor John Kitzhaber, Secretary Kate Brown, and Treasurer Ted Wheeler, oversees management of the 93,000 acre Elliott State Forest, located 45 miles southwest of Eugene, and is expected to adopt a new plan for the Elliott that will increase clearcutting by nearly 40% at their quarterly board meeting tomorrow. The rally will be in front of the state land board building, located at 775 Summer St. in downtown Salem.

“These old coastal state forests provide clean water, pure air, carbon storage to balance the climate, and habitat for a host of endangered critters, and they must be safeguarded for future generations,” says Kate Ritley, Executive Director of Cascadia Wildlands. “Oregonians deserve better than an increase in the clearcuts and stumpfields on their public lands.”

The new forest plan will increase clearcutting on the Elliott from approximately 500 acres per year to 850-1,000 acres each year and will break promises the state made to protect species and habitat in its 1995 forest plan that was supposed to last for 60 years. The forest is home to a host of federally listed endangered species, like the marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl and Oregon Coast coho salmon. According to a study by Ecotrust, under the new forest plan clearcutting on the Elliott will release as much carbon into the atmosphere each year as an additional 45,000 cars on US highways.

“Oregonians don’t want destruction of their state forests, they want them protected for the extraordinary benefits they offer,” says Jason Roberts of Friends of Oregon’s Forests. “Oregon’s leaders must do better so we can leave a natural legacy for the future.”

At the demonstration, Oregonians will also be addressing ongoing threats to the Clatsop and Tillamook State Forests, a forest complex covering nearly 500,000 acres west of Portland. The waterways in these public forests are critical spawning and rearing grounds for imperiled salmon, yet the forests above them are extensively roaded and clearcut year after year by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

“The Governor has the ability to improve the state forest practices on the Clatsop and Tillamook and it is his obligation to do so,” says Ritley. “The forest practices on these forests directly affect the health of our dwindling salmon runs, and management plans need to drastically change.”

Organizers are leading carpools, buses and caravans from around the state to Salem for the demonstration. Speakers, performers and dancers are expected at the rally, which is schedule to go until the land board meeting ends around 12:00 pm.

Specifically, Friends of Oregon’s Forests are calling on the Governor to:

1. Abandon the proposed new forest plan for the Elliott State Forest and proceed with a forest plan that focuses on restoration thinning in the younger tree plantations.

2. Eliminate intensive herbicide spraying on state public forests after logging, like the BLM and Forest Service have done in adjacent federal public lands.

3. Adopt a new way forward on Oregon’s State Forests that prioritizes restoration in plantations, recreation, carbon storage, and all ecosystem services.