Senator Wyden’s O&C Land Grant Act – Summary

• Covers 2.8 million acres, including BLM O&C lands and public domain lands, and 300,000 acres of Forest Service lands to be transferred to BLM.

• Estimated volume of 400 MMBF per year.• Divides land into Forestry Emphasis Areas, Conservation Emphasis Areas,

and a variety of other special designations.• Protects all trees and forest stands over about 85 years old.• Forestry Emphasis Areas would see reduced stream buffers, and mandated

“variable retention regeneration harvest” on about 6,000 acres per year. Thinning would also be done. An additional 50,000 acres of young stands would be set aside for more aggressive logging.

• Changes method and timing of NEPA analysis and public involvement.

Impacted land in stewardship areas

Stewardship Areas Acres of BLM to USFS Acres of USFS to BLM Acres into CEA Acres into FEA*

Alsea 0 11,150 26,800 7,300

Siuslaw 4,949 330 63,300 67,300

Mary's Peak 0 0 2,864 16,100

Hebo 0 25,300 11,900 56,200

Totals 4,949 36,780 104,864 146,900

* There are other designations like Old Growth Network, riparian reserves, etc that would impact mgt of this category.

“Rationalization lands” of concern

• Siuslaw & Lakes Basin: Fivemile Bell area• Nestucca: East Beaver, Nestucca• Salmon-Drift Creek: Erickson Creek, Rock

Creek, Trout Creek, Forks of Schooner Creek• Mid-Coast: south of Waldport, Fall Creek, Bull

Run Creek• 25,000+ acres of the Hebo Ranger District (!)

Impacts to Stewardship

• Proposed FS land transfers to BLM mean less land available (more than 36,000 acres) for stewardship contracts and retained receipts.

• Transfers could jeopardize and undermine current investments in restoration.

• Stewardship contracts and restoration emphasis highly unlikely in Forestry Emphasis Areas on BLM land.

Impacts from proposed management

• Proposed Forestry Emphasis Areas would have reduced stream buffers and mandated timber production goals and prescriptions not in line with restoration.

• Takes BLM lands out of NWFP management scheme, meant to be integrated with USFS.

• Sets back progress on restoration and collaboration in Coast Range.

Legislative context

• Senate bill could be packaged with broader legislation affecting National Forests across the country.

• House O&C bill likely to have much bigger impacts for BLM lands and our watersheds. Unclear how Senate and House bills will be reconciled.