Oregon takes a look at its forests

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Big decisions coming up on how Oregon manages about 650,000 acres of its state forests, including Clatsop and Tillamook. According to the Daily Astorian, The Oregon Board of Forestry is taking a look at the “Greatest Permanent Value” rule, which is meant to balance the social, economic and environmental benefits of state forests.

Clatsop County Manager Duane Cole told the board recently that people must come first.

Social sustainability, Cole said, recognizes that reliable, sustainable timber harvesting provides not just money, but a strong social fabric for the people and communities that rely on most heavily on timber-related jobs.

“Maintaining social sustainability means providing certainty that sustainable forest employment will continue into the future so people employed in the forest, or by the forest, can prosper,” he said.

Many communities in the West are dependent on the timber industry, and while many issues must be weighed when it comes to forest management, the human factor should never be lost.