North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection (NCCWP) to hold letter writing event:
Protect our state forests from clearcutting and pesticide spraying.
Please join NCCWP and the North Coast State Forest Coalition on Wednesday, May 14th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at KALA (1017 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103). During this gathering, we invite
the public to participate in a letter writing event to address concerns about timber sales in our local state forests. We will provide attendees with paper, envelopes, crafting materials, and talking points to help guide letter writing. Bring a friend! Jam out and add tunes to our Water Warrior playlist. There will be finger foods to pick at and beverages available for purchase
(Dinah makes a killer cocktail).
Each year, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) drafts an Annual Operations Plan (AOP) that outlines proposed timber sales on public forestland. ODF-managed land is divided into districts, and each district creates a distinct plan that is submitted to the Board of Forestry (BOF). The Astoria District encompasses the 136,000+ acres Clatsop State Forest. The 2025 AOP approved 53.1 million board feet of timber to be cut (above Astoria ODF’s standard range of 48-52 mmbf). It also allows for 2,100 acres of forestland to be sprayed with pesticides within the county.
This past April, the draft AOP for 2026 was submitted to BOF, initiating a 45-day public comment period that lasts until June 3rd, 2025. During this comment period, citizens may offer recommendations. In 2023, before our first letter writing event in 2024, the State only received 29 public comments. After our AOP letter writing campaign in 2024, more than 1,000 comments
were submitted!
The AOP is officially approved July 1, at which point parcels of public forestland are auctioned to private timber companies and contractors. This is how ODF gets the majority of its revenue,
some of which is returned to the county. Once the contracts are let, the trees no longer belong to the state.
According to Astoria ODF employees, the AOPs attempt to balance the agency’s legal obligation to manage state forests for social, economic, and environmental outcomes. This concept is
commonly referred to as Greatest Permanent Value (ORS 530.050). State forests provide outdoor recreation, education and interpretation opportunities, essential wildlife habitat, clean water, and
sustainable harvest volume that produces jobs and revenue that funds vital services in rural counties, local districts, and schools throughout the state.
However, there are a growing number of residents within this historically timber-dependent county that are concerned by the amount of clearcutting and related pesticide applications.
Last year, none of the property owners were notified by ODF that clearcuts and spraying would be occurring adjacent to their properties before or during the 45-day public comment period.
Only after a local grassroots community group took initiative were these residents made aware of these sales planned in their backyards.
A 45-day public comment period is open until 5:00pm on June 3rd, 2025. ODF is offering several convenient avenues to comment on Annual Operating Plans:
1. Comments can be emailed to odf.sfcomments@odf.oregon.gov
2. Comments can also be mailed to ODF Public Affairs, 2600 State St., Salem, OR 97310
3. Online comments are also received through ODF’s comments page
(https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/pages/comment.aspx)
Comments or questions?
Contact
Pam Birmingham Pam.nccwp@gmail.com
Anna Kaufman Anna.nccwp@gmail.com
As a matter of necessity and regardless of land ownership, NCCWP demands no more logging and no more pesticide spraying within our drinking-watersheds. Safe drinking water and clean air are part of the public trust that we all are entitled to have. Please help North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection safeguard and restore our drinking watersheds. healthywatershed.org | www.facebook.com/NCCWATERSHEDPROTECTION
The North Coast State Forest Coalition is a group of organizations and individuals working together to restore healthy mature forests, intact ecosystems, abundant wildlife, robust wild salmon runs and clean water to Oregon’s state forests. We support restoring balanced
ecosystem-based management for state forests by advocating for a strong habitat conservation plan and other laws and policies that support these goals. standtalloregon.org www.facebook.com/ForestLegacy