Timber industry concurs with Congressional concerns over flawed spotted owl proposal Further oversight needed to resolve decades of failed federal forest management policies By American Forest Research Council The timber industry joined those testifying at the Congressional field hearing in Longview, Washington, in calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]

Forest Policy Briefs by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manager Associated Oregon Loggers Sen. Wyden Wants Entitlement, Not Timber Income: Oregon’s US Senator Ron Wyden announced that two bills—intended to reconnect county receipts to increased federal timber sale revenues—lack his support and would be “a nonstarter” in the Senate. Sen. Wyden […]

By Oregon Bureau Of Land Management In response to President Obama’s call to expand opportunities for summer employment for young people and connect them with the great outdoors, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Chair of the White House Council […]

NW Natural Resource Note, NW lumber firms are benefiting from the Japan Tsunami aftermath.   The Vancouver business, Columbia Vista Corp., exports 75% of its lumber to Japan and has recently hired two dozen new workers.   A Japanese lumber company, Miyoshi, was destroyed after the Tsunami and now relies on $120,000 […]

Bill Would Allow Forest Fire Fuel Loads to be Responsibly Managed National Cattlemen’s Beef Association  Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was joined by 27 of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives today, May 15, 2012, to introduce the bipartisan Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 5744). According to […]

by National Association Wheat Gorwers The conference process for divergent House- and Senate-passed surface transportation bills began this week with a public hearing on Tuesday that was dominated by opening statements and calls for passage of a long-term bill. The 47-member conference committee is charged with bridging the gap between […]

Export figures indicate a recovering grass seed industry resurrected By Oregon Department of Agriculture Oregon’s grass seed industry suffered greatly with the US economic downturn that began in 2008. But there are increasing signs of recovery that include export numbers generated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s inspection and certification […]

American Farm Bureau Federation American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman at a hearing on Capitol Hill reemphasized his organizations’ support of a single commodity option and a strong crop insurance program in the 2012 farm bill. Speaking before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, […]

Removing 4 Lower Snake River Dams Just a Bad Idea Don Brunell, President Washington Business There are dams that should come down and those that shouldn’t. Demolishing the two dams on the Elwha River west of Port Angeles is a good thing and, hopefully the salmon and steelhead will return […]

By Oregonians For Food and Shelter, Last week the Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC) announced their new President. According to a statement from Tom Holt, OFIC’s Board Chairman, “McNitt will begin work on June 15, 2012, and there will be a two week overlap with Ray Wilkeson working closely with […]