About the project
In October 2020, the Board of Forestry (BOF) directed the State Forests Division to continue the development of a Forest Management Plan and Implementation Plans for about
640,000 acres of Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)-managed lands west of the Cascades. The mission of the Western Oregon State Forest Management Plan (FMP) and Implementation Plans (IP) project is to implement the social, economic and environmental values required of state forests. If approved, the Western Oregon State Forests FMP would replace the current Northwest Oregon and Southwest Oregon State Forests FMPs.
Project timeline
ODF anticipates completing the Forest Management Plan process, including rulemaking, in 2025.
Public engagement
ODF is engaging the public, stakeholders, department staff and consultants to create a plan that provides social, economic, and environmental benefits to Oregonians. ODF is conducting the following engagement activities:
- Meetings open to the public – These meetings are recorded and linked below.
- Stakeholder meetings
- Surveys
- Email updates
Sign up to receive project updates regarding the FMP process and upcoming meetings.
FMP components
The forest management planning rule identifies required elements for Forest Management Plans. Several pieces of the plan and how they inform one another are outlined below.
Draft
Guiding Principles:
Guiding principles establish a framework that directs the development of FMP goals and strategies. Guiding principles align with the vision are approved by the Board of Forestry.
Status: Complete
Draft
Goals:
Goals are what the State Forester intends to achieve for forest resources. They will be used to ensure ODF provides the economic, environmental, and social values required by Oregon Administrative Rule. The goals align with the guiding principles and the vision.
Status: ODF is in the process of finalizing the draft goals. The goals were developed by ODF staff and the public was invited to discuss and provide comments on the goals in public and stakeholder meetings in August 2021.
Draft
Strategies:
Each strategy supports one or many goals. The strategies identify management techniques to achieve plan goals. Each strategy aligns with the goals, guiding principles, and vision.
Status: ODF is in the process of finalizing draft strategies. ODF held meetings with the public and stakeholders in December 2021 and collected feedback through an online survey. A
summary of feedback is available on the project website.
How is the FMP connected to the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)?
The Western Oregon State Forests HCP process provides a holistic and cost-effective way to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and sets conservation priorities for ODF. The HCP and FMP are being carried out in a parallel process. The project teams will coordinate closely throughout the process to ensure consistency in goals and strategies.
Background
In October 2020, the Board of Forestry (BOF) gave direction to the State Forests Division to continue the development of a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and a Forest Management Plan (FMP) for about 640,000 acres of ODF-managed lands west of the Cascades. The HCP administrative draft entered the NEPA process in March 2021, so the State Forests Division began development of the FMP and IPs.
The State Forests Division determined that the best way to carry out this work is in parallel process, running two separate projects, in order to be able to implement the FMP along with the HCP. The project teams coordinate closely throughout the project lifecycle to ensure alignment and consistency in management goals, objectives and strategies.
This project provides an opportunity to improve certainty around outcomes for the social, economic and environmental components articulated in greatest permanent value, such as recreational, educational, and interpretive opportunities.
Meetings open to the public