Federally managed forests to restore timber jobs
Residents of rural Eastern Oregon want to see more done on federally managed forests to restore timber jobs, maintain public access and protect communities from potentially destructive wildfires.
Locals say they also want more direct engagement with the U.S. Forest Service as the agency continues revising its 15-year Blue Mountains National Forests Land Management Plan.
Approximately 175 people attended a panel discussion on forestry issues Monday, Oct. 20, at the Blue Mountain Conference Center in La Grande, hosted by new Regional Forester Jim Peña and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.
Panelists included representatives from mining, recreation, agricultural and logging industries, as well as county officials. One by one, they expressed their concerns and vented frustrations over a perceived lack of active management on the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur national forests.
Union County Commissioner Mark Davidson said the Forest Service is allowing timber resources to go to waste by cutting back on logging, allowing the woods to become overgrown while families struggle below the poverty line.
Northeast Oregon has lost 19 mills and 4,700 jobs over the last 30 years.
“We are letting this resource go to waste while the children we should be caring for are going hungry,” Davidson said. “It goes right back to the health of our communities and families.”