Focuses of the Forestry & Natural Lands Team are:

• Ensuring Natural Climate Solutions are Effectively Used to
  Increase Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Oregon.
  We are especially focused on upgrading of GHG reduction goals to reflect best available science and increased attention to sequestering and storing carbon on our natural and working lands by the Oregon Climate Action Commission. We are lobbying for a working lands carbon inventory, funding a study of activity-based and community-based impact metrics to direct policy and positioning the state to leverage federal funding in natural climate solutions.
• Redefining the ODF Business Model
  We are working towards ODF Business Model Reform: decoupling funding of counties from logging on our state forests coupled with funding from the General Fund. As a result of the current business model Oregon’s state forests are not carbon sinks. Few mature or old growth trees remain on state lands which greatly limits carbon sequestration and storage and resilience. Diversified sources of revenue are needed so that investments can be made in protecting drinking water, providing outdoor recreation, and ensuring the biodiversity needed for a wide variety of wildlife species. A primary focus is to ensure that a Habitat Conservation Plan is adopted by the Oregon Board of Forestry as this will ensure that our state forests in the future will serve as a carbon sink.
• Establishing a Timber Value Tax
  We are working to establish a timber value tax on industrial logging. We seek to increase carbon sequestration and storage on private industrial forest. A primary means for achieving this is a timber value tax that decreases when tree harvesting is based on an ecological rather than financial model. This will promote a longer logging rotation and thus increased carbon sequestration and storage.
• Monitoring the Biomass Pilot Project
  We are monitoring biomass pilot projects led by OSU pending study of use of forest logging debris.
• Ensuring a Healthy, Robust Urban Tree Canopy
  We are working to protect our urban tree canopy as this is critical not only to promote carbon sequestration and storage but also for human health.
• Responding to Threats to Our Urban Growth Boundary
  We know that allowing sprawling development is contrary to Oregon’s climate goals. We already have plenty of land within UGBs that need infrastructure to make them development ready. In particular we do not want to see rules developed that will allow trees to be bulldozed for developments targeted for buyers of McMansions.

If you’d like to join the team, Contact us and Rand Schenck (Team Lead) will get back to you!