Rep. Wright: Disappointment over Elliot Forest Bill (SB 147)

By State Representative Boomer Wright

Floor speech,

“Mr. Speaker, this lengthy process, moving from one inefficient and ineffective agency to another over the last five years, has been a fiasco from the start and continues to be an example of government bureaucracy and red tape at its best. It’s time for the Elliott Forest mismanagement to stop. and give these trust lands back to our children and communities. The environmental non-profit for-profit organizations have supported and pushed their agenda of forest mismanagement of the Elliot over our children’s education, safety from wildfires and costing rural communities good paying jobs that put food on their tables, clothes on their backs and roofs over their heads. Oregon State University seems to be the only member of this idiocy that said no to the project’s feasibility, and so should this legislature.

I do not believe, Mr. Speaker, that the State Land Board has the expertise or the long-range vision to accomplish any of the goals prior to possible wildfire in the Elliott due to continued mismanagement. The statement we are from the government and we are here to help is not at all comforting considering the progress or the lack thereof as to the health and welfare of the Elliot. The DSL [Department of State Lands] appraised value of the Elliot was substantially less than the market value, resulting in significant loss to the Common School Fund and Oregon taxpayers. The arbitrary limit of only 17,000,000 board feet of timber sales per year is not enough to cover the basic management as indicated by Oregon State Forestry and leaves nothing for funding proposed research projects. Money may need to be pulled from the general fund to fully fund the research process instead of using reasonable harvest, defeating the purpose. As I mentioned in the other bill, $10 million. We can log for that much. Doesn’t make any sense.

There are 550 miles of historic roads and trails that need to be upgraded and should be mapped for management and recreational purposes, not closed to the public. This is a superficial modeling, politicized regulations over actual population data, species adaptability, and historical demographics. The focus on climate change and carbon sequestration lacks any scientific basis and practical relevance to the Elliot’s coastal environment. Timber sales should be immediately returned to the conservative 1989 levels of 50 million board feet a year until another map plan can be developed. 40,000 acres of tree populations which are not critical habitat. For wildlife should be a logical starting place.

I encourage that we return and assign Douglas and Coos County commissioners as forest managers with land board and ODF oversight with public consideration of the Oregon Web Sites and Watershed Project Gisley Plan, specifically requested by Governor Brown. And repeatedly ignored to this time. It had a definite research and educational focus and has yet to be considered.

I request a vote of nay, Mr. Speaker, and return Elliott Forest Trust lands, land supposedly held in trust for our children, not government bureaucracy, back to support our children, our jobs. Our communities, our counties who actually value trust lands and reasonable forest management. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.”

Watch the full video here.

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