It seems that Clatsop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs has suddenly realized that county residents value our public forests for more than just generating timber for private mills. At a recent meeting of the Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee on Aug. 23, Bangs even acknowledged that cutting mature forests with trees over 80 years old was “socially unacceptable.”

However, Bangs followed up by asking the state forest officials to stop growing trees beyond 80 years to avoid public pressure not to clearcut them. A video of the meeting is available on YouTube.

Oregon law says our state forests must be managed for multiple values. These include fish and wildlife habitat, cold clean water, safe drinking water, recreation, carbon storage and forest products. Older mature forests are essential for protecting these values.

With vast amounts of the county’s private forest land base controlled by far-away investors who clearcut on 40-year rotations and don’t pay their fair share of taxes, our state forests can and must be managed differently.

Older mature forests on the North Coast are among the most productive in the world for carbon absorption and storage. Our state forests should be managed to restore these forests across the landscape by using ecological forest management practices.

The habitat conservation plan is a great start, but more needs to be done to restore healthy mature forests and fight climate change. The Oregon Board of Forestry is currently considering a new management plan for these forests. You can email comments to boardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov.

KEN ADEE

Astoria