The legislative session is off and running in Salem, and as always, the first few weeks bring a flood of new bills. We’re sifting through all of them and will keep you posted if action is needed.
One good bill on our radar right now is HB 3103, which is essentially a good governance bill aimed at creating common sense harvest levels for state forestland – we’ll let you know when the time comes to support that concept.
Two bad bills we might need your help on: HB 3489, crafted by legislators with urban progressive perspectives, would impose a hefty severance tax on timber, increasing the tax burden to the sector by roughly 800% while defunding the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. SB 79 would make it harder for forestland owners to build a house on their property. More to come soon on these potential threats.
We’re still digging into the details on many bills, so no action needed yet — but stay tuned!
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