Commissioner Chris Brong explains why federal government should allow forest-dependent Skamania County a freer hand in the use of its resources: SKAMANIA County is the most environmentally “protected” county in the West. But at what cost? Our unemployment rate is 11.5 percent, much higher than the 5.1 percent rate in King and Snohomish counties. Our median…
Here’s Jennifer Phillippi’s response to a radical activist who recently attacked her family over the recent closure of their Rough & Ready sawmill, the last in Josephine County. This piece originally appeared in the Grants Pass Daily Courier: Andy Kerr’s May 1 Guest Opinion about my family’s announcement to close Rough and Ready Lumber after 91…
In a letter to federal land managers, Oregon Congressman Greg Walden urges the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to recognize forest management as a solution for preventing catastrophic wildfires and combatting rural poverty. Here’s an excerpt of the letter: The current ecological health of our forests is not good, and the economic…
Watch County Commissioner Simon Hare discuss how active forest management can help restore more economic opportunity for rural communities.
In Washington D.C. the growing debate over reforming federal forest policies is focused on improving forest health and providing a short-term extension of timber payments to county governments. These issues are important, but the primary goal of any federal forest legislation should be to promote forest management as a means to increasing employment and fighting…