[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6284970,"mediaKeyId","2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0","parentId",2576365,"title","ODF details Private Forest Accord implementation, state‑forest revenues and invasive‑pest risks","audioSeconds",1121,"startMs",2413000,"endMs",3534000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0&start=2413&end=3534","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0/thumbnail_2413000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6284970/Oregon/ODF-details-Private-Forest-Accord-implementation-stateforest-revenues-and-invasivepest-risks","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284970-a0a5e855155c3e025a24c98c3bb9b3d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095185&Signature=VYxdph5oRwFiVv0WKByQj-fPA5GVzPFrHjOyVubYbLAxuXEfBx3MJ5zQxXtNowZEtX9WJQPoRknusjwAiUlvEQx1YmD8GR2pILJ1iXZ1uZb7GWBu7iuzzM~v1O2LEM9NRbIO8lhMQFkSvlr8vM6~M-uvY5wIaCG4ukwCFEOCbwIVoClpL60YigRX69lWGGkkUT~DHCh9eJa~ExnzjRnZZJDsSYHaoSv-43fcYF8Il46mIvlMR995YduLcIqtp7LyFrjwMWfzqIVumMPhKOD0FDlMsa-SiFeyuLY0pnENWxF8dgkmQPjnmqBjZ2s98hU1ybr3mtvx8ZvZFIqRyLtjoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-03-11T00:00:00Z","article","At the March 11 informational hearing on Senate Bill 5521, Josh Bernard, Forest Resources Division Chief, and Michael Wilson, State Forest Division Chief, reviewed program work tied to the Private Forest Accord, state forest revenues, and forest health risks.

Bernard summarized core Division work — compliance with the Oregon Forest Practices Act, monitoring forest health, leveraging federal funds, and expanding urban and community forestry. He said the agency is implementing the Private Forest Accord (passed into law in 2022) including rule changes, adaptive management, and development of a private‑forest Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

Michael Wilson told the committee that Board of Forestry lands (roughly 730,000 acres) produce timber revenue used to operate the State Forest Division and that the division expects reduced harvest levels under the planned HCP and revised growth‑and‑yield estimates.

Why this matters

The HCP and updated forest inventory change projected harvest volume and therefore future revenues that support counties, schools and local services. Wilson said that under the planned HCP the division is planning offered harvest in the neighborhood of 185,000,000 board feet, a level lower than historical averages, and that exact revenue will depend heavily on market conditions.

Key points from the hearing

- Private Forest Accord and HCP: Bernard reviewed implementation steps tied to Senate Bill 1501 (referred to in the hearing as SB 15 01) and associated rulemaking. He said adaptive management, incidental‑take permitting (via an HCP) and small forest landowner assistance are central requirements. Bernard said ODF has submitted an administrative draft HCP for federal review and expects to continue working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal partners; the agency is targeting HCP completion near the end of 2027.

- Funding and program timing: Committee members asked whether the governor’s budget included the full funding levels originally discussed for Accord implementation. Bernard and staff said many positions for Accord implementation are funded in current service level but some programs (e.g., an adaptive management program and a small forest landowner assistance program) previously received one‑time funding and the originally discussed ongoing funding levels are larger than what was included in the governor’s budget. The governor’s budget contains a $14,000,000 special purpose appropriation, with $10,000,000 described for grants to small forest landowners once the HCP is finalized.

- State forest revenues and harvest projection: Wilson said the division manages roughly 730,000 acres of Board of Forestry lands and that timber sale revenues are the main funding source for the division (the division keeps a portion of receipts to cover operating costs and returns the remainder to counties and taxing districts). He told lawmakers the division expects lower long‑term harvest levels under the HCP and noted that updated growth‑and‑yield tables reduce standing timber per acre relative to past assumptions, meaning historic harvest levels are not sustainable under current scientific estimates.

- Seed orchard and federal restoration grants: Bernard described the J.E. Schroeder seed orchard and the Oregon Seed Bank as tools for producing and preserving climatically adapted seed stock. He also said the agency leverages federal funds for federal forest restoration and that Policy Option Package 105 increases federal funds limitation to continue that leveraging.

- Invasive pests and forest health: Committee members expressed concern about sudden oak death (SOD) and other pests. Bernard and other staff said SOD containment is ongoing and that the agency receives federal funding and, in prior biennia, one‑time state funding to slow spread. The agency said the pathogen spreads via spores and can move with significant weather events; staff noted the primary objective is to slow spread and protect priority areas such as parts of Coos Bay.

Questions and follow‑up

Senators asked for more detailed briefings from forest health specialists about SOD strains and impacts on species including Douglas fir. Bernard said staff can provide that follow up. Committee members also asked about timing for HCP finalization and whether the federal review is advancing; agency staff said weekly coordination with federal partners is ongoing and targeted completion remains near the end of 2027.

Bottom line

ODF told legislators that Accord implementation and HCP development will reshape how the agency manages forests and generates revenue. The agency said some implementation positions are funded, but several programmatic investments originally discussed in Accord negotiations remain partially funded or were funded as one‑time allocations; draft HCP review and negotiation with federal agencies continue.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources 03/11/2025 3:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","In a March 11 briefing on Senate Bill 5521, ODF division chiefs described implementation of the Private Forest Accord, progress on the habitat conservation plan (HCP) and related funding, declining expected harvest volumes, the role of the Schroeder seed orchard, and concerns about invasive pests including sudden oak death and emerald ash borer.","taxTitle","Natural Resources, Ways and Means, Joint, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",18810,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6284975,"Oregon Department of Forestry outlines budget packages and capital projects in SB 5521 informational hearing",336,153000,489000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0&start=153&end=489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0/thumbnail_153000.jpg","/articles/6284975/Oregon/Oregon-Department-of-Forestry-outlines-budget-packages-and-capital-projects-in-SB-5521-informational-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284975-6bc3084425e43ceb55af771b71881ed4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095185&Signature=NoJQWaEQfssjplm1Qvqxfmca6WaWObudGkKEsLHeqh4kOLMmetd-aWQ~hiuPv0KsTi06MZEh5kqT4rUUMt3njWYL8bPDRGiNcm2iov55MxYgtpIPUGmDlA6yEghe4OUbH4hwPSMzvilMZgUEyzaRVPZGG8E54x6fnOZAnvE3qIcnbv4XmuiPsGR3QhPJA4ryuWBlQNmww6dcPcKtX8Rrt~IzbAZsL-UIUEXrqD7SXsD0Gwz1vNCHCFMMqoGc9QR8efPpI6JxVx9d1sr7f4hDjMdTH8ujrQefz4q6MCcpynd~5E-fUqtPuxap6OlnS845lTRXL-m~1YoTGDF2yCt0ng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a March 11 informational meeting on Senate Bill 5521, James Short, Chief Financial Officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry, summarized the agency’s policy option packages and capital construction requests for the 2025–27 biennium.

Short told the Natural Resources subcommittee that the agency’s budget submission includes workforce and administrative adjustments, federal funding authority for urban and community forestry grants, position authority for fire severity staffing, and multiple capital bond requests for facility replacement and restoration.

Why this matters

The packages and capital requests define the agency’s ability to staff wildfire response, carry out federal grants, replace fire cache facilities lost to fire, modernize district campuses and preserve a historic headquarters building. Several requests require bond authorizations or increased expenditure limitation for federal grants; others are technical transfers of positions to shared service providers.

What the agency presented

- Workforce development (Package 104): Short said the package would create one new manager position in human resources to establish a workforce development function; the agency described this as a new, internally focused effort funded by existing resources with a net negative effect to the general fund but an increase in other funds expenditure limitation.

- Urban and community forestry and Forest Legacy (Package 105): Short said this package increases federal funds expenditure limitation to carry out an urban and community forestry IRA grant and to fund forest legacy projects, describing a federal funds limitation of about $28,000,000 materializing in 2025–27 to implement those grants.

- Payroll transfer to DAS (Package 106): The agency transferred payroll functions to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS). Short said the package reflects that transfer and the movement of two positions (2.0 FTE) with associated costs: roughly $190,000 general fund and $320,000 other funds to reflect the DAS shared‑services assumption.

- Severity staffing (Package 107): Short described establishment of permanent positions to support the fire severity aviation program. The package would create permanent authority for positions previously hired as temporary or limited duration: about $4,000,000 of other funds expenditure limitation, 18.5 FTE and 37 permanent positions.

Capital construction and facilities (Packages 108–113)

Short listed multiple bond requests and timelines for facilities that the agency said are needed to replace fire caches, finish under‑construction district co‑locations, and repair a historic headquarters building:

- West Oregon (Toledo) Phase 3 (Package 108): $6,700,000 bond authorization (other fund bonds) to complete a currently under‑construction co‑location with the city of Newport; agency estimated completion in the fall, barring holdups.

- North Cascade Sanium replacement (Package 109): $5,700,000 bond authorization; agency said the original Sanium burned and construction readiness is reached.

- Klamath facility replacement (Package 110): $5,700,000 bond authorization for a new fire cache in Klamath Falls following a 2021 fire; agency said insurance proceeds were received and this is one phase within a larger district master plan.

- State Forester’s Office remodel, Salem (Package 111): $22,400,000 bonding and debt service to restore and remodel the 1938 State Forester’s Office Building.

- Western Lane (Veneta) campus remodel (Package 112): $16,800,000 for campus modernization, including removal of six buildings and a new multipurpose operations facility.

- Deferred maintenance (Package 113): $6,800,000 for statewide deferred maintenance and capital improvements.

Other notes

Short and other agency officials said package details and supporting materials are posted to OLIS under the meeting materials tab. Michael Curran, the fire protection division chief, told the committee the Toledo disposal will follow the state‑statute disposal process and that the agency will remain in the old facility until the new one is complete to avoid readiness gaps during fire season.

No formal vote

The March 11 session was an informational hearing; agency presenters described policy option packages and capital requests to inform legislators and the public. Committee staff announced a public hearing and public testimony session on SB 5521 scheduled for the next day.

What legislators asked

Committee members asked for additional detail on funding levels and timelines, and several asked whether the governor’s budget funding matched the original expectations for Private Forest Accord implementation and ancillary programs. Agency staff said staffing needs were funded in current service level but some previously one‑time programs (adaptive management, small forest landowner assistance) had been funded previously on a one‑time basis and that the statutory HCP timeline affects when some special appropriations would become available.","During an informational meeting on Senate Bill 5521, ODF summarized multiple policy option packages for the 2025–27 biennium—covering workforce development, urban forestry federal grant authority, payroll transfers to DAS, severity staffing—and listed capital bond proposals for facility replacements and remodels.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6284980,"Oregon foresters tell legislators wildfire costs and severity are rising; work group drafting funding changes",863,829000,1692000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0&start=829&end=1692","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2576365-ee8e999383a64944f140ebf7ae0d3af0/thumbnail_829000.jpg","/articles/6284980/Oregon/Oregon-foresters-tell-legislators-wildfire-costs-and-severity-are-rising-work-group-drafting-funding-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284980-69693e972af8d2c80c495d24fed98cce/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095185&Signature=mlF4WCUkZ0y3g1GFVXWQCtLRYQ0cFLtJtey8Xn2cikvLGhwsAyvf240nPj047br2CfKSaO9l404mluc32ZBDMEwIXLWsbU2paFhlAqyaDX4t93jru~k0ivgNhceIqKmmBLCucGLTvY3E1BoGqgciPh0pa-LcNjTSwif8fwlS8lFKXtQjfq1DAiRMbhfM9qx9AR4UY6tWRYN2QaO9ewhrKtfV-YK1ARJHLBY1tHzrvEkGUi~pAAUecybFWfHAXnGt6lB0iPBCRejH~1B6oJfGzuy0Wt5urvw4zs9FhF-6ccFnVlFAtBr-fx1lnXF~bzjWA6cVp3iThe0OmorRt2FHxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Co chairs Frederick and Levy convened an informational hearing on Senate Bill 5521 on March 11, where Oregon Department of Forestry officials said wildfire activity, acres burned and suppression costs have risen substantially and are straining the agency’s existing funding model.

The agency’s fire protection chief, Kyle Williams, Deputy Director of Fire Operations, told the subcommittee that human-caused starts account for roughly 77% of Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) fire starts while lightning-caused fires drive the majority of acres burned. “Human cause is anything people might be doing that could cause a fire,” Williams said. He added that lightning storms can create hundreds of starts at once in remote areas that quickly exceed initial attack capacity.

The rising acres are already driving higher costs. Williams said that including the 2024 season, ODF’s average annual gross suppression cost is about $99,500,000; the agency’s average annual net cost — after expected federal reimbursements — is about $42,600,000. He warned the committee that federal reimbursements can lag by one to four years, creating a cash‑flow burden on the state.

Why this matters

ODF staff described a multi-tiered funding model that begins with per‑acre assessments to landowners and then layers state general fund support and a severity program for surges. The agency estimates roughly $85,000,000 is derived from assessments, divided across general fund and public/private landowner shares. Those assessment-derived budgets are set by local landowner budget committees for protection districts and then approved by the Board of Forestry.

Michael Curran, ODF’s fire protection division chief, told lawmakers the agency is following “an identified process that's in state statute” to dispose of the Toledo property once the new facility is complete, and that the replacement facility is on track for an estimated completion this fall. Curran said the agency will remain at the existing location through completion to preserve readiness during fire season.

Key details from the hearing

- Causes and acres: Williams summarized that although about 77% of fire starts are human-caused, lightning-caused fires drive most total acres burned because lightning events create many starts at once. He displayed a long-term trend showing a roughly fivefold increase in acres burned on ODF‑protected land since 2005 and noted 2024 set a statewide record of about 1,930,000 acres burned.

- Costs and cash flow: Williams said the agency’s 2024 gross suppression cost was included in the annual average of about $99.5 million and that the net average — the portion the state expects not to be reimbursed — is about $42.6 million per year. He highlighted the cash‑flow challenge of delayed federal reimbursements.

- Severity program and starting funds: ODF said the severity program budget is $10 million annually (split roughly $7 million general fund, $3 million from landowner‑derived dollars). When incident costs exceed initial protection, ODF currently can match landowner funds dollar‑for‑dollar with general fund up to a total of $20 million; beyond that point costs come from the general fund. The agency said it typically starts the season with about $15 million available across those buckets.

- Local budget stress: Williams told the committee that two districts in Northeast and Central Oregon rejected proposed protection budgets two years in a row, saying landowners could not afford the increased assessments. That creates statutory and operational strain because the Board of Forestry is ultimately responsible for approving budgets that meet the adequate level of protection.

- Legislative work group: The agency convened a fire funding work group of about 35 stakeholders to develop options for a sustainable funding model. ODF representatives told the committee they expect the work group’s recommendations to inform legislative language; one committee member indicated a draft bill could be available soon. Williams said the work group focused on (1) investing in resilient landscapes and large‑scale response capacity, (2) creating affordability for landowners who pay assessments, and (3) addressing the state’s cash‑flow challenge for reimbursement delays.

Questions and follow up

Committee members pressed agency leaders on whether current performance measures — for example, the target to keep 98% of fires to 10 acres or less — remain achievable given recent trends. Williams called the 98% target a “stretch goal” and said staff are reviewing whether the measure remains meaningful.

The subcommittee was also told that ODF will provide additional questions and answers in writing and will notify legislators as Toledo disposal steps proceed in coordination with the Department of Administrative Services.

Looking ahead

April, the committee staffer, announced that the subcommittee will take public testimony on Senate Bill 5521 the following day. ODF officials said they will continue to brief lawmakers as the funding work group’s recommendations and any bill drafts become available.","At an informational hearing on March 11, Oregon Department of Forestry officials told the Natural Resources subcommittee that wildfire acres and suppression costs have increased sharply, landowner assessments are straining district budgets, and a legislative work group is drafting funding recommendations tied to Senate Bill 5521.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

ODF details Private Forest Accord implementation, state‑forest revenues and invasive‑pest risks

Oregon Department of Forestry outlines budget packages and capital projects in SB 5521 informational hearing

Oregon foresters tell legislators wildfire costs and severity are rising; work group drafting funding changes