By Rick Sohn, p.H.D Umpqua Coquille LLC Near-record-breaking prices are being paid for winter logs, and its only December. Both housing starts and building permits surpassed 1million in the same month! Zillow made an anomalous multi-year upward adjustment in median US home values. Seven-year span of manufacturing, home construction, and […]

Oregon Cascade Policy Institute A new report released by Cascade Policy Institute concludes that the public-private partnership Oregon Wave Energy Trust has failed to achieve a return on public investment. The Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) is a nonprofit, public-private partnership established by the Oregon State Legislature that works to […]

Robert Nelson, environmental policy professor at the University of Maryland Wildfires destroyed an estimated 6,500 square miles of U.S. forest lands in 2013, an area larger than the state of Connecticut. One reason fires blaze through so much land is poor wildfire management from the U.S. Forest Service. But instead […]

By Economist Dr. Eric Fruits, Econinternational The Oregon State Land Board on Tuesday agreed to move forward with the sale of scattered tracts of the Elliott State Forest, reports OPB. Gov. John Kitzhaber, Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ted Wheeler—who make up the State Land Board—unanimously backed the […]

By Oregon Department of Agriculture Last year fails to match 2011’s impressive bottom line despite good prices & production Oregon farmers and ranchers fell short last year of 2011’s near record net farm income, but many sectors of the state’s agricultural economy did well in 2012. Despite a 5.2 percent […]

By Oregon Cattlemen’s Association OCA statement on EPA/NOAA disapproval of Oregon’s Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) disagrees with the current findings of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in “the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program: Intent To Find That […]

By National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Navy’s joint “Farm-to-Fleet” venture will now make biofuel blends part of regular, operational […]

Timber Industry Report By Rick Sohn PhD. Umpqua Coquille LLC Mills are competing for logs and prices are rising. This month is good for homebuyers, including a slight drop in Median Home values and a big drop in interest rates. Seven-year trend of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are […]

By Cindy I am rapidly getting in the holiday spirit but before I get to relaxed and magnanimous I have to send one final love letter to my friends in the petroleum industry. So with thoughts of sugar plums dancing in my head here goes: In doing my regular reading […]

Tom Partin By American Forest Research Council I recently received a copy of this press release and “white paper” from Senator Ron Wyden’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff (below). Many of you may have received the information as well. I felt compelled to contact you in response to this […]