Senate Bill 10 51 A would move the appointment authority for the state forester from the State Board of Forestry to the governor, require Senate confirmation, set a four‑year term with eligibility for reappointment, and establish minimum qualifications including organizational management experience and experience overseeing forest and wildfire management on Western forest lands.

Jeff Huntington, senior policy advisor for Governor Kotek on natural resource issues, said the change seeks to clarify accountability between the governor and volunteer boards when the boards’ duties include hiring and oversight of an agency director. “This does clean that up for us, but it will not reduce the amount of stakeholder engagement or engagement of board members,” Huntington said.

Michael Eisen of the Oregon Forest Industries Council said the organization had opposed earlier forms of the bill but worked with the governor’s office to restore qualifications around forestry and wildfire experience and said the revised bill increased the applicant pool and retained technical qualifications. He said conservation groups Wild Salmon Center and Oregon Wild had informed the committee they were neutral.

Committee members discussed the balance between local expertise on boards and direct executive‑branch accountability. Some members said shifting appointment authority strengthens a single line of accountability to the governor while preserving Senate oversight via confirmation.

The committee held a public hearing and closed the record; no committee vote was taken during the session.