Starting Friday, May 7 through Monday, June 21, Oregonians can weigh in on draft Annual Operations Plans (AOPs) for state forests in the Astoria, Forest Grove, Klamath-Lake, Tillamook, West Oregon, and Western Lane Districts, which includes the Tillamook, Clatsop, Sun Pass and Gilchrist state forests. These plans lay out on-the-ground activities expected to take place in the coming fiscal year.
State forests by law must provide economic, environmental and social benefits to Oregonians. To achieve the legal mandate, these lands are managed to create healthy productive forests, high-quality habitat for native fish and wildlife, clean water, benefits and revenues to rural communities and timber-related economies, as well as recreation and educational opportunities. Overall management policies and management goals are established in long-range Forest Management Plans and Implementation Plans. Annual Operations Plans describe activities to achieve the policies and goals laid out in the longer-range plans. ODF is seeking input on the draft AOP summary documents, which can be viewed at
https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Working/Pages/StateForests.aspx. Forest Management Plans and Implementation Plans can also be found at this address.
Note that public comment for the North Cascade District (Santiam State Forest) FY2022 Annual Operations Plan will take place as part of a separate process.
If you would like to view the operations on a map and access reports on individual operations, please visit the ODF Annual Operations WebApp by visiting
https://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ae569c1ff445457eb8fe1b556699bce8. Reports can then be accessed by clicking on an operation, then clicking "More Info."
Common topics covered in an AOP include:
• Timber harvest operations
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Forest road construction, maintenance, and improvements
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Reforestation/replanting and young stand management activities
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Habitat improvement for native species
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Invasive species management
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Recreation improvement and maintenance projects
What kinds of comments are most helpful during the Annual Operations Plan public process?
The most useful input speaks to specific activities and how they relate to FMP and IP goals and strategies:
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Ensuring the annual plan is consistent with the implementation plan and/or forest management plan
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Suggestions to improve efficiency or effectiveness
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Clarifying how planned operations are described
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Providing additional information or correcting an error
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Are solutions-oriented, with the understanding that state forests must meet a suite of social, environmental and economic goals and offering how the department can meet those goals
How are comments used?
ODF staffers review all comments. Comments related to a district’s operations receive district attention; comments that extend beyond single-district issues are considered by regional area staff and statewide program staff.