May 11, 2011 Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Meeting Time Change

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, May 9, 2011

MAY 11 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING TIME CHANGED

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners has changed the time of its Wednesday, May 11 regular meeting to accommodate public input on a draft letter regarding future management in the Clatsop State Forest.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria.
The letter, to State Forester Doug Decker, constitutes the board of commissioners’ comment on the draft Implementation Plan for the state forest’s Astoria District. The 10-year implementation plan spells out how the revisions to the Northwest Oregon Forest Management Plan, adopted in 2010 by the Oregon Board of Forestry and covering harvest levels, habitat protection and other strategies, will be carried out on the ground in the approximately 150,000 acres of the Astoria District, which covers the Clatsop State Forest.
The state forestry department is accepting public comment on the implementation plan until May 25. The final decision on the implementation plans lies with the department.
The draft letter was presented to the county board of commissioners at its April 27 meeting, when the board heard a presentation from District Manager Tom Savage and Assistant Manager Ron Zilli on the district implementation plan.
The board postponed action on the letter and scheduled further discussion for May 11. Staff made some revisions to the letter based on commissioner input.
The letter emphasizes the important role forestry plays in the economy and culture of Clatsop County. It notes that one of the key changes in the 2010 Forest Management Plan carried over to the implementation plan, the introduction of a new habitat-protection strategy called Species of Concern, “appears to be more specific and targeted,” but urges the department to dedicate sufficient resources to ensure the species-protection plan is “based on the best available science.”
To see the draft letter on the May 11 meeting agenda, go to the Clatsop County website, www.co.clatsop.or.us and go to “Board of Commissioners meetings/agendas.”
The state forestry department is taking public comment on the draft implementation plan until May 25. To view the entire plan, and get information on submitting comments, go to the Oregon Department of Forestry website, www.oregon.gov/ODF.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000