Oregon State University is stepping back from a years-long effort to turn the Elliott State Forest into the country鈥檚 largest research forest, but state leaders and longtime advocates say they aren鈥檛 concerned about the long-term designs to rehabilitate the forest.
The announcement marks another twist in a lengthy story involving the . For more than four years, OSU has worked with the Oregon Department of State Lands on a proposal that would make the Elliott a 鈥渨orld-renowned鈥� research forest to help better understand how climate change is impacting forests, contributing to sustainable forest products while also allowing public access and timber harvesting.
But OSU President Jayathi Murthy announced this week she would not make a recommendation to OSU鈥檚 Board of Trustees to authorize the school鈥檚 management of the research forest, in what appeared to stall the future of the forest that was .
OSU鈥檚 announcement is the latest development surrounding a public forest that鈥檚 been immersed in controversy for more than a decade. It was put on the market for $221 million in 2016 and was the subject of numerous lawsuits from environmental groups years before that, yet ultimately stabilized with a plan to partner with the state鈥檚 largest university. The research forest was also intended to study ways to protect threatened species such as the marbled murrelet, coastal coho salmon and northern spotted owl.
Gov. Tina Kotek and conservation groups that have been at the table for years say they aren鈥檛 concerned about the withdrawal. A spokesperson for Kotek said that she was disappointed in the development but confident in the work already underway.
鈥淭he Department of State Lands is already working with stakeholders who have been instrumental in this initiative for nearly four years to map out next steps toward fulfilling the vision for establishing the Elliott State Research Forest,鈥� spokesperson Anca Matica said in an email sent to OPB. 鈥淭he Governor is confident that the forest鈥檚 future will include meaningful research by scientists from OSU and other universities.鈥�
Bob Sallinger, a longtime conservationist who serves on the appointed board that was supposed to start overseeing the forest in January, said he doesn鈥檛 believe OSU鈥檚 departure undermines the work.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no reason that we can鈥檛 move forward with this plan,鈥� Sallinger said of the deal ironed out over the past four years. But in a letter to the Oregon State Land Board obtained by OPB, Murthy said the latest plan to use the forest as a research tool falls short of the university鈥檚 initial vision. She said her decision to have OSU disengage was driven by several factors, including opposition expressed by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
The Elliott State Forest is located northeast of Coos Bay on the tribes鈥� traditional lands. The tribes have long supported plans to turn the area into a research forest. But Murthy said they recently 鈥渆xpressed significant concerns鈥� that the proposed management plan doesn鈥檛 give the tribes a meaningful role in forest stewardship, and that it doesn鈥檛 adequately incorporate Indigenous cultural knowledge or practices.
Murthy also expressed concern about how much timber the state would harvest from the research forest. Citing an email exchange between the Department of State Lands and the State Land Board, Murthy said the state plans set a specific amount of timber that could be harvested from the forest every year, with minimal year-to-year variation. She said such a plan would harm the forest鈥檚 health.
鈥淔urther, the proposed research forest was predicated on the realization that forest management would be modified over time as knowledge is gained and understanding is built through research, observation, and collaboration,鈥� Murthy wrote. Even so, Murthy said the university is still committed to working with the state on recalibrating the plan 鈥渋n a manner that fulfills the vision,鈥� she wrote.
Sallinger said that argument doesn鈥檛 hold water. The forest has been unharvested for years, and conversation groups ultimately supported the overall plan, which includes logging up to 17 million board feet from the forest annually.
鈥淲e felt the overall ecological benefits were significant enough,鈥� Sallinger said, noting that he didn鈥檛 love every aspect of the agreement.
Oregon Department of State Lands Director Vicki Walker said she was disappointed.
鈥淟et me be abundantly clear: The state remains deeply committed to the vision of an Elliott State Research Forest,鈥� Walker wrote in a statement, adding that the department will continue working with the state land board and tribes on establishing the research forest.
It鈥檚 unclear if the department will continue working with OSU on the Elliott State Research Forest, or if it will find another organization that can do forest management and research.
OSU College of Forestry Dean Tom DeLuca said collaboration between the university and the state has broken down over the past month, as state officials tried to tie remaining loose strings by the end of the year. He said he hopes they can find a solution.
鈥淎s a college, we鈥檙e very interested in the whole concept behind the Elliott,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he idea of having a research forest, it鈥檚 addressing these really important questions around alternative management and creating management strategies that are resilient in the face of climate change鈥� And not just pushing it off to another part of the world, but doing it here, and doing it right.鈥�
Sallinger, who was at loggerheads with the state at times as part of a coalition that sued to stop logging on the forest nearly a decade ago, said OSU鈥檚 effort to portray the process as being different than advertised years ago is inaccurate.
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