The Oregon Department of Forestry released a report recently to state forest trust land counties highlighting economic, environmental and social accomplishments in fiscal year 2020, including distributing $3.4 million in revenue to Benton, Lincoln and Polk counties.
Scattered tracts of state forestland in the three counties combine for about 29,979 acres of Board of Forestry lands, which by law must provide economic, environmental and social benefits.
ODF recently released its Council of Forest Trust Land Counties annual report, which highlights the array of economic, environmental and social contributions from approximately 729,000 acres of actively managed state forestland. It includes a recap of timber sales and revenue distribution, conservation and forest health activities, and recreation use, including popularity and number of visitors, among other statistics.
“The economic, environmental and social successes detailed in this annual report highlight the broad scope of benefits healthy working forests provide to Oregonians and communities,” State Forester Peter Daugherty said.
Statewide, counties and local governments received record revenues of $69.2 million in fiscal year 2020, collected from timber sales on state-owned forests. Revenues are distributed based on timber sales within a particular jurisdiction. Other highlights include replanting more than 3 million trees and hosting more than 22,000 campers at ODF campgrounds.
Counties and local service providers receive approximately 64% of net revenues from timber harvests on state forests. The remaining revenues finance virtually all aspects of state forest management, including ODF’s recreational offerings, environmental enhancement projects, replanting after timber harvest and forest road maintenance. The state’s share of revenue was approximately $38.3 million in fiscal year 2020.
Other report highlights statewide include:
• 238 million board feet of timber harvested through management activities.
• 4.9 miles of fish access restored.
• 20 fish barriers removed.
• 389 miles of trail maintained.
• 1,015 woodcutting permits issued.
• 29,472 visitors to the ODF Tillamook Forest Center. The TFC’s physical location was closed for most of the 2020 season to reduce spread of COVID-19.