Biomass: Boon or Boondoggle? by Karla Kay Edwards Cascade Policy Institute, As Oregon communities struggle through this recession, they are looking for an economic “silver bullet” to help them survive and to become a foundation for future economic prosperity. Renewable energy has been thought to be one of those “silver […]

U.S. appeals court nixes city’s immigration ordinance By Kurt Kipp, Oregon Association of Nurseries Can cities make up their own rules on immigration? According to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the answer is no. “”It is … not our job to sit in judgment of whether state and […]

Update on Current Policy News Affecting Forest Business & Timber Supply by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manager Oregon Association of Loggers Oregon Truckers Brace for Fuel Tax Hikes: Effective Oct. 1, 2010, commercial trucking business across Oregon will begin paying the “phase 2” transportation tax increase, which was passed by […]

Owl and landowners get help in new Safe Harbor plan Natural Resource News Note: A new plan called “Safe Harbor” has been set forth by federal and state natural resource agencies and it promises to help both sides of human-nature debate. The new plan helps increase spotted owl habitat that […]

New On the Menu: Genetically Modified Salmon? By Health Day News, FRIDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may soon approve genetically modified salmon for humans to eat, a prospect that is raising concern among some consumer advocates who consider the fish a threat to […]

Debunking Anti-corn pyramid scheme By Ken National Corn Growers Association, The Denver Post ran a story this weekend about the cost of food, continuing one of the themes from Food Inc. and others, arguing that healthier food costs more than unhealthy food, and that’s why so many poorer people cannot […]

Oregon sees crab, Chinook boom By Oregon Small Business Association Oregon’s ocean waters are producing a bounty of Dungeness crab and fall Chinook salmon. Crabbing  recorded the third-largest season in history, in terms of a dollar figure. Fall-run Chinook are estimated at 245,000, which are many more than seen in […]

California Legislature Fails to Pass 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard by William H. Stoel Rives LLP NW Law Firm An alert written by Stoel Rives partner Seth Hilton: The California legislature failed to pass Senate Bill 722—the 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation—by the close of the legislative session. The bill […]

Timber Industry Report Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille LLC OUCH! Not only are log and lumber prices down, but unsold home inventories are up, and economies here and elsewhere around the world, continue to raise concerns about the recovery and drive interest rates down to unprecedented levels. Swanson Group has closed […]

Timber Industry Report August 2010 Addendum Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille LLC The Financial Times of London carried an in-depth series on homebuying August 16-17.  It includes an international map of house price changes in the first quarter of 2010.  For example, China, Australia, and Canada were up 68%¬, 20¬%, 11.6%, […]