A Public comment period is open until Sunday on a proposal for Oregon State University to manage the Elliott State Forest as a research forest.
In an October online session with the Department of State Lands, Tom DeLuca, dean of OSU’s College of Forestry, said the science based proposal will address a broad spectrum of needs.
“The research design creates one of the largest reserve areas on the Oregon coast. It promotes a growth of early successional and older forest, allows pubic access and continued recreational uses, educational partnerships and local economic benefit and – it advances science, and science that’s desperately needed to understand how we best manage our forest ecosystems throughout the region to achieve our fiber needs, our wood needs, our wood product needs, meeting those needs while minimizing impact to the environment and maximizing the benefit to the greatest diversity of species.”
OSU’s draft plan for the Elliott State Forest includes a 60% set-aside for habitat preservation and recreation. Other acreage would be managed using triad approaches including reserve, intensive and extensive management.
The Department of State Lands has extended the public comment period deadline for Oregon State University’s draft proposal until November 29th.
The State Land Board will discuss the plan at a Dec. 8 session.