Comment Summary: Oregon Consensus Report on the Elliott State Forest
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Oregon Consensus Report Comment Summary and Complete Comments Received Comment Summary: Oregon Consensus report on the Elliott State Forest The Oregon Department of State Lands (Department) engaged Oregon Consensus, a program of the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University, as a neutral party to assist with outreach and overall work toward decoupling the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund. In October 2018, Oregon Consensus completed stakeholder interviews regarding decoupling the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund and submitted their final report to the Department. The report summarized what was heard in the interviews and discussed key themes, issues, and considerations for successful decoupling. The Department invited the public to read the final report and provide feedback on report findings. Feedback was accepted from October 9 to November 15, 2018. The Department received comments representing feedback from more than 50 individuals and organizations. As the Oregon Consensus Report indicated, perspectives regarding the future of the Elliott State Forest vary widely. Comments received illustrated this range of perspective. Though specific comments often offered highly detailed and nuanced feedback, general themes within the comments include: Decoupling the Forest from the Common School Fund. Comments reflected a variety of perspectives related to decoupling, compensating the school fund for the value of the Elliott, and ongoing contributions of the forest to education. Themes within the comments included: • The school fund needs to be fully compensated for the forest. Multiple commenters noted concerns with the current appraisal undervaluing the forest, and with previous approaches or litigation devaluing the forest. Some commenters indicated that funding schools should be the primary driver for any solution. • Potential for forest to continue to contribute to Oregon schools. Perspectives ranged from not supporting decoupling at all, to interest in developing some kind of ongoing monetary contribution to the school fund, to finding non-monetary ways the forest can benefit education. • Support for decoupling. Most comments supported decoupling. Several indicated partial decoupling as desirable. Commenters that did not support decoupling indicated multiple reasons, including a process that does not adequately consider the non-monetary values of the forest, loss of potential ongoing revenue, a false sense of urgency for decoupling, and an undervalued appraisal. Use of $100 million. Commenters indicated additional information, discussion, and ultimately resolution of how the $100 million in bond proceeds will be used is needed. Specific feedback mentioned use of the $100 million: • To preserve non-economic benefits. • To preserve assets not protected by the Habitat Conservation Plan or Endangered Species Act. • To preserve critical habitats. • To protect specific forest parcels. 1 of 44 Oregon Consensus Report Comment Summary and Complete Comments Received • Needs to be prioritized to decouple land unavailable for logging under a Habitat Conservation Plan or Incidental Take Permit, and then applied to specific parcels. The Forest’s Revenue Potential. Commenters offered specific ideas for revenue generation, related both to purchase of the forest as well as ongoing revenue generation. Included were a harvest tax on timber revenue, carbon credit sales, and timber harvest. Several commenters did not support any solution that required debt to be serviced from commercial logging, or noted that the level of logging they would support would not generate significant revenue. Comments regarding timber harvest varied widely. Perspectives ranged from, no logging should be allowed, to commercial log sale only as a byproduct of thinning, to supporting harvest within specific parameters. Potential Public Owners. Comments support continued public ownership, with many offering support or concern regarding specific public owners. Generally: • Some commenters indicated that ongoing transparency, public accountability and involvement, and oversight by elected officials would not be possible with some public owners. • Some commenters indicated concern with ownership that emphasized financial returns, experimental research, or that included ties to timber companies. • Some commenters indicated an ownership/management partnership by multiple public entities as a possible solution, with different roles/oversight of different areas of the forest. Need for additional information. Comments indicated the ongoing decoupling process should be informed by further examination of specific issues and topics, including: • The forest’s carbon potential and carbon market value. • The forest’s role in mitigating climate change. • The non-monetary values of the forest, particularly to education institutions and communities and other benefits to future generations. • Context regarding related education funding issues. Use of data, facts, and science to support decision-making was mentioned multiple times, specifically on issues of climate change, carbon, recreational use, and timber production and employment. Several commenters also noted the need for outstanding litigation to be settled in order for a permanent solution to be reached. Development of Habitat Conservation Plan. Multiple comments indicated that a Habitat Conservation Plan needs to be developed prior to complete decoupling. Reasons varied, but included: • HCP has impacts on multiple remaining decoupling issues. • An incomplete HCP process opens any decoupling solution to litigation. • A future public owner should play a role in development of a Habitat Conservation Plan. 2 of 44 Oregon Consensus Report Comment Summary and Complete Comments Received Forest Management Approach. Many commenters offered specific ideas on future management of the forest, and indicated a desire to have further information and input regarding a potential public owner’s management approach. Themes within the comments included: • The forest could be a model for emerging or alternative management approaches. • Management could allow for multiple uses of the forest, including recreation, habitat. conservation, preservation of old growth, and harvest (though perspectives on harvest vary. See discussion in Revenue Potential). • State agencies may have an ongoing role to play, either in an advisory capacity or economic development capacity. • Climate change, carbon must be considered in management. • Solutions must consider the realities around how the forest can be managed. • Concern regarding private or for-profit business involvement. Additional stakeholder and public engagement. Many respondents indicated a desire for increased engagement, specifically: • Inclusion of additional perspectives. Specifically mentioned were tribes, environmental groups, scientists, labor, communities of color, state agencies such as health, labor & industry, and tourism, the global warming commission, carbon scientists and economists, recreation groups, and education groups. • Ongoing opportunities to provide information regarding remaining issues and comment at decision points. The approach taken to public engagement was also noted as important. Respondents mentioned: • A transparent process. • A process that allows the public a voice in any final decision. • Use of engagement strategies that allow all voices an opportunity to be heard. • Desire for the engagement process to include decoupling as well as Habitat Conservation Plan development. Creation of a multi-agency technical team to advise the Habitat Conservation Plan development process was mentioned. • If an advisory committee is formed, the voice of the committee must be heard by the Land Board. The unlikelihood of advisory committee agreement on some issues was also mentioned. • The process should reflect that the Land Board is the ultimate decisionmaker. Finally, many respondents shared their vision for the future of the Elliott State Forest. These desired outcomes again emphasized that the forest is a special place to Oregonians for many reasons and that the ultimate solution should be carefully crafted to resonate with many. Desired outcomes mentioned included: • An Elliott State Forest that is beautiful, wild, and preserved in its natural state. 3 of 44 Oregon Consensus Report Comment Summary and Complete Comments Received • An Elliott State Forest that supports study and cultivation of natural forest practices, modern forest management, forest carbon, sustainable and environmentally appropriate timber harvest practices, endangered species management, and other topics. • An Elliott State Forest that is managed to provide multiple benefits to people, species, and environments. • An Elliott State Forest where habitat is provided and protected. • An Elliott State Forest where recreational and educational opportunities abound. • An Elliott State Forest that sets the standard for how to manage and maintain public forest land. • An Elliott State Forest that is preserved for the wide-ranging legacies it provides to our children and our planet. • An Elliott State Forest that benefits all Oregonians. 4 of 44 Oregon Consensus Report Comment Summary and Complete Comments Received Complete Comments Received 1 Robert “Bob” Main Organization/Affiliation: Chair, Coos County Board of Commissioners Having the majority of the Elliott in Coos County I find it unacceptable to not interview myself. ( board chair ) and Coos County Commissioner Melissa