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

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.