NEWS RELEASE

March 3, 2022
Media Contact:
Liz Merah, 503-877-8287
Charles Boyle, 503-931-7773

(Salem, OR) — After the passage of the Private Forest Accord package, Senate Bills 1501 and 1502 and House Bill 4055, Governor Kate Brown issued the following statement:

“Thank you to legislators from both parties for coming together to pass this historic legislative package. The Private Forest Accord is a perfect example of the Oregon Way––Oregonians coming together to find common ground, to the mutual benefit of us all,” said Governor Brown. “Together, this agreement will help to ensure that Oregon continues to have healthy forests, fish, and wildlife, as well as economic growth for our forest industry and rural communities, for generations to come. I would like to thank everyone involved for their role in making this agreement a reality today.”

“This is truly a paradigm shift and a moment in our state’s history of which all Oregonians should be proud,” said Chris Edwards, President of the Oregon Forest & Industries Council. “This demonstrates it is possible to put differences aside and work together on viable solutions to tough problems. Today we leave the Timber Wars in the past and embark on a new collaborative era of forestry that ensures a future for sustainable active forest management and wood products manufacturing.”

“This is great news for Oregon,” said Bob Van Dyk, Oregon Policy Director for the Wild Salmon Center. “Our fisheries, our forests, and our communities will all benefit, not only from the measures adopted today, but also from the spirit of compromise that made this possible.”

“The Private Forest Accord recognized, for the first time, the precarious position family forest landowners have to balance economic viability, biological capacity, and social acceptance of active forest management on their smaller forest parcels,” said Ken Nygren, President of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association. “Sustaining family forestland ownership is a critical element in a balanced approach to forest land management, and we will work to help family forest landowners understand the complexity of the new regulations and to successful implementation on the ground.”

"The passage of the Private Forest Accord legislation today marks a significant moment in Oregon's history,” said Sean Stevens, Executive Director of Oregon Wild. “I'd like to again thank the many parties that came together to make the Accord a reality. And I would also like to recognize the countless community members, companies, and advocates that pushed for this moment. Collectively, we have created a new foundation for the practice of forestry in Oregon - one where science, cooperation, and a willingness to engage in sometimes difficult conversations will drive future decision making."

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