policy scoreboard
Editor's Note: To keep SAF members informed of state society policy activities, Policy Scoreboard is a regular feature in each issue in the Western Forester. The intent is to provide a brief explanation of the policy activity - you are encouraged to follow up with the listed contact person for detailed information.
osaf adopts revised position statements, other updates underway
The 2008 expiration of several OSAF position statements prompted some recent reviews and revisions by the Policy Committee. At its meeting in May the OSAF Executive Committee approved updated positions on "Salvage Harvesting" and "Using Pesticides on Forest Lands." By this printing a revision of the position on "Clearcutting" also may be adopted. The position on "Active Management to Achieve and Maintain Healthy Forests" is expected to be revised and approved by September. OSAF members are encouraged to review the latter position and any proposed revisions, and send comments to local chapter officers or the Policy Committee. Although the older position statements remain of generally good quality, the review and revision process allows for some fine tuning as well as greater integration of growing issues such as invasive species and biomass energy.
A one-year extension of the position statement on "Landslides on Forest Lands" was approved earlier this year, partly in response to some well-publicized landslides that raised questions about possible links to forestry activities. The Policy Committee plans to draft a new position later this year that will address both landslide and other steepland or wildlandurban interface issues, but the landslide position will remain useful until this new position is adopted. All OSAF position statements are online and draft revisions are posted in the "members only" section. Contact: Paul Adams (), OSAF Policy chair, 541.737.2946.
osaf input on federal forest management legislation
Oregon legislators remain concerned about forest health and wildfire hazards, as well as old-growth forests on federal lands. Early this year Rep. Peter DeFazio's (D-OR) office released a draft bill on the management of both USFS and BLM forestlands in the region. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) also co-sponsored the Forest Landscape Restoration Act (S. 2593) introduced in Congress. The scope of these issues and legislative proposals are substantial, and OSAF and national SAF leaders are tracking their development. OSAF members Marvin Brown and John Tappeiner both testified on Capitol Hill at a related committee hearing. In July, Wyden released his own draft bill, the Oregon Forest Restoration and Oldgrowth Protection Act.
The scope and potential effects of these proposals are substantial, and OSAF and national SAF leaders conducted initial reviews and are tracking their further development. The national SAF office, with input from the OSAF Policy Committee, sent a letter to Rep. DeFazio with some pointed concerns about his proposal. A joint letter from OSAF and the national office to Sen. Wyden also raised many issues about the Senator's proposal, including its ambiguities, narrow focus and conflicts with existing legal mandates. The letter further emphasized that "legislation that would substantially limit the available tools, future management options or the discretion of experienced, local managers raises serious concerns for the forestry profession as it endeavors to serve society." Contact: Paul Adams (), OSAF Policy chair, 541.737.2946.
idaho forests identified as ghg source
The nation's forests are a greenhouse gas sink. Idaho's forests are a source, according to the recently released greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory produced by the Center for Climate Solutions (CCS) for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Of the 20 state inventories of GHG emissions that CCS has performed, Idaho is the only one where forests are a GHG source rather than a sink. The implications for forestry in the state are compelling. A good place to start is reducing wildfire emissions by actively managing hazardous fuels in the national forests that dominate Idaho's forested landscapes. Contact: Jay O'Laughlin(), IESAF Policy chair, 208.885.5776.
idaho strategic energy alliance names forestry task force
Stemming from the national 25x'25 initiative (25 percent of the nation's energy from renewable sources by 2025) Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter created a Renewable Energy Council in 2007 comprised of state agency heads and led by the administrator of the Idaho Office of Energy Resources, also created by the governor last year. The council is the first of three tiers in the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance and will rely on information flowing up from the third tier of 10 task forces, including forestry, which will identify opportunities and challenges to develop energy resources in the state. A board of directors forms the middle tier and is responsible for turning the information on opportunities and challenges into recommendations for programs and policies. Your correspondent was honored by the invitation to serve as leader of the Forestry Task Force. Contact: Jay O'Laughlin (), Inland Empire Policy chair, 208.885.5776.