Date wrapper:
Jan
27

Panel Discussion of Forest Accord

When
January 27, 2022 - 6:30 PM
Where
Online
Sponsors
Audubon Society of Lincoln City, Oregon Wild
Cost
Free

Clearcut.\Photo by Alex Derr.

The Audubon Society of Lincoln City and Oregon Wild invite you to a webinar about Oregon’s new Private Forest Accord, “A Watershed Moment for the Future of Oregon’s Forests,” taking place online on Thursday, Jan 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Oregon Coast Community College’s Office of Engagement will facilitate the Zoom presentation and registration.  The event is free and open to all.

Many of the state’s largest conservation groups have been meeting behind the scenes with representatives of the timber industry and other interest groups to attempt a compromise measure that would reform the state’s forest practices.  The Private Forest Accord is the result.
 

Management of Oregon’s state and private forests has been mired in controversy for decades. As a result, fish and wildlife habitat suffered, water quality degraded, and many rural communities struggled with regulatory uncertainty. There was plenty of debate, but little changed…until now. Private forest representatives, small forestland owners, conservation leaders, and fishing organizations, after months of negotiations, reached an agreement that heralds a new way of business for nearly 10 million acres of private forests.

Not all communities and conservationists are happy with this compromise, which among other things doesn’t directly address threats to drinking water.  The speakers on this panel will make the case that the accord will safeguard water quality, provide rural communities with greater economic certainty, and protect threatened and endangered fish through a Habitat Conservation Plan. Panel speakers were at the table throughout the negotiations. They will share how this historic agreement came to be, what it means, and what still needs to happen to make it a reality as Oregon moves forward into a new era of forest management. Webinar panelists:

  • Sean Stevens, Executive Director, Oregon Wild, is a lifelong Oregonian and outdoor recreational enthusiast. Oregon Wild, which works to protect and restore Oregon's wildlands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for all Oregonians.
  • Kelly Burnett, Research Fish Biologist, formerly worked with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis. Kelly’s research centers on understanding the relationships between salmon and their freshwater habitats, landscape analysis of aquatic habitats, and land management in order to better design and evaluate policy options.

Learn how forest practices in Oregon are changing, and what you can do to engage with this historic turning point in state management of our abundant natural resources. The hour-long webinar includes a question and answer session.

To attend this webinar, go here.