Committee hears split testimony on pilot lumber-grading program bill

A House committee on Monday heard nearly three hours of divided testimony on Senate Bill 1061A, a proposal to authorize an Oregon State University Extension–run pilot program to train small sawmill operators to self-grade lumber for limited residential uses.

Supporters told the Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water that the pilot would help revive small, local sawmills, create education pathways in CTE programs and provide an outlet for low-value timber from fire- and disease-affected forests. Opponents — including representatives of nationally accredited lumber inspection agencies — said the training and traceability provisions in the bill would be insufficient to protect public safety and that existing transient grading services and grant programs are better options.

Why it matters: Lumber grading establishes design values used by building officials to approve structural materials. The bill would change how some locally produced lumber could be certified for use in permitted single‑family homes and duplexes, touching building-code enforcement, liability exposure, local forest economies and efforts to reduce wildfire fuels.

Sen. Todd Nash, the bill sponsor, said the measure would create a one‑day pilot training through OSU Extension to test whether small‑scale sawmills and landowners will participate. "This is a pilot program to see if there's actually interest in making this go forward," Nash said, describing long-term decline in regional industrial mills and arguing that locally produced lumber could be used for housing and forest stewardship.

David Kretchman, president of the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC), testified in opposition. "It's truly a solution in search of a problem," Kretchman said, arguing the bill would create "an unnecessary exemption to important safety and quality control processes that have stood the test of time." He said eight hours or a one‑day course is not sufficient to teach the complex, multi‑page national grade rules and warned the bill could short‑circuit the current multilayered system that provides traceability and design values.

Kevin Jeong of the Western Wood Products Association and Jeff Fantozzi of the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau echoed safety and training concerns, providing technical descriptions of current certification processes. Fantozzi said transient grading services — where accredited agencies visit portable mills or job sites to grade and stamp lumber — already provide a pathway for small operators to sell grade‑stamped material without changing the code.

Proponents stressed local economic and environmental benefits. Maurito Valerio, a Union County landowner, called the idea a "mile‑0 lumber" model and said it could support local CTE programs. David Duncan, a Wallowa High School educator, said the pilot would provide a career pathway for students and help the school operate a donated sawmill for community use.

On procedural points, several opposition witnesses and committee members suggested alternatives: a state grant program to subsidize transient grading services or expand accredited agency capacity, rather than creating a parallel grading system. Testimony included repeated references to liability and traceability: accredited agencies mark each graded piece with a mill stamp, a feature opponents said the pilot's self‑grading lacks.

The committee did not vote on the bill during the hearing. Committee staff invited written follow‑up and asked members to submit questions to Ms. Goodard for written responses.

Looking ahead: The testimony recorded strong stakeholder disagreement over public safety and program costs; the committee will consider the written record and follow‑up answers before acting.