Coast Range Radio Coast Range Association

Today, we’re going to go deep on an incredibly important subject, albeit one with a somewhat less than stirring name if you aren’t already familiar: The northwest forest plan

The northwest forest plan sets the overall management strategy for 17 National Forests across a staggering 24 million acres of federal lands in Washington, Oregon and northwestern California, and the forest service is in the process of changing that plan in a significant way for the first time in its 30 year history!

Those changes could have absolutely massive consequences for the future of some of our most iconic forests, the human and non-human communities that rely on them, and even for the planet.

So it is vitally important that we make sure that the Forest Service amends the northwest forest plan in a way that strengthens forest protections, prioritizing ecosystem health and carbon sequestration.

Sadly, the higher ups in forest service may very well try to use this process as a way to weaken environmental protections and increase logging, even on mature and old growth!

We can’t let that happen.  This is a once in a generation opportunity and threat, and it is going to take massive public pressure and engagement to prevail over the Timber industry machinations that would seek to re-open these forests for wholesale liquidation. 

To talk about all this I’m joined by the Coast Range Association’s Director, Chuck Willer.  We’re going to go through our campaign to educate, activate, and empower local grassroots groups to protect these forests, and why we are focusing our efforts on the Siuslaw National Forest here in the Coast Range.

You can learn more about everything we’ll be talking about today on the home page of our website, coastrange.org.
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It is important to celebrate our victories, and today we get to talk about two of them!

The Oregon Board of Forestry (BoF) recently voted to approve its first ever Habitat Conservation Plan on State Forests, and a bill to fully fund and strengthen Oregon’s Marine Reserve Program sailed through the recent legislative session.

To talk about these victories and get updates on what’s ahead for both of these campaigns, I’m joined today by one of the leaders of each of these efforts.  Charlie Plybon from Surfrider Foundation will discuss the OMRP  legislation and what's next for ocean conservation,  and Michael Lang from the Wild Salmon Center will give us an update on the BoF's historic vote.

We have done deep dives into both of these campaigns on previous episodes, so if you want to learn more, check out our free archive on the Coast Range Radio podcast feed or at our website, coastrange.org.

And as always, my email is michael@coastrange.org.

Research Links/Show Notes:
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife - Marine Reserves: https://oregonmarinereserves.com/
Oregon Marine Reserves Partnership: https://omrp.org/

State Forest Campaign
https://standtalloregon.org/
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/aboutodf/pages/stateforestsfmp.aspx
Oregon Department of Forestry- Forest Management Plan Homepage: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/aboutodf/pages/stateforestsfmp.aspx
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We often think of the land and the sea as separate worlds that have little to do with each other.  But that barrier is much more fluid and interconnected than many people realize.

We’ve talked on this program before about what folks call the ‘Land-Sea Connection’, and today we’re going to talk about the ‘connection’ piece of that equation, estuaries! Estuaries are where the land and sea meet and intermingle, and are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world.

To talk all about the campaign to protect and restore Oregon’s estuaries, I’m joined by Annie Merrill of Oregon Shores.

Research Links/Show Notes:
Oregon Shores Estuary Hub: https://oregonshores.org/programs-campaigns/campaign-for-oregons-estuaries/

Port of Coos Bay Container Port Project: https://www.portofcoosbay.com/pacific-coast-intermodal-port

Channel modification: https://www.portofcoosbay.com/channel-modification-project


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On today’s show, Canopy of Titans: the Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest!

Canopy of Titans is a new book written by journalists Paul Koberstein and Jessica Applegate which shines a light on the critical importance of protecting the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

Paul and Jessica spent years reporting and researching for this book, traveling from the redwoods all the way up to alaska, and interviewing dozens of scientists, activists, experts, and even a few industry shills.  The result is a truly moving celebration of the incredible forests we fight for, and a major contribution to that fight.

Canopy of Titans has just been announced as a finalist for the 2024 Oregon Book awards, and I am thrilled to be joined by one of the authors, Paul Koberstein.

Cascadia Times: https://times.org/


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Where I live in the coast range, I am surrounded in all directions by industrial timber plantations for miles in all directions.

Now, I have no problem with logging.  I think silviculture is a good and noble profession.  But it is plain for anyone to see that the short rotation, financialized plantation management practiced by the Wall Street investors who own the vast majority of private timberland is destroying our communities and ecosystems.

The Coast Range Association has been highlighting the need for an alternative model of forest management that sustains both economies and ecosystems for decades.  So when I heard about today’s guest’s research into community forests, I was all ears.

Alexander Harris is the Land and Water policy manager at the bellingham based non-profit ReSources.   Alexander recently completed a graduate program in Environmental Policy at Western Washington University, where his research explored how community-driven forest stewardship can help restore watersheds.

Research Links/Show Notes:
Restoring The Nooksak Through Community-Driven Forest Stewardship: https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2151&context=wwuet

Referenced in this episode:
https://www.nwcommunityforests.org/
https://stewartmountaincf.org/
https://nisquallylandtrust.org/our-lands-and-projects/nisqually-community-forest
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Teanaway
https://co.chelan.wa.us/natural-resources/pages/nason-ridge-community-forest
https://www.sightline.org/profile/kate-anderson/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBKlofDmdpo&pp=ygUOamVycnkgZnJhbmtsaW4%3D


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For those of us who work to make a positive impact on the world, there is often a default towards focusing on big national and international level issues.

Between the rapidly worsening climate crisis, national campaigns to preserve Mature and Old growth forests, decarbonization and electrification fights, never-ending election cycles, on and on,  it’s easy to forget that there are important local, grassroots struggles happening in communities everywhere that deserve our support and attention.

Local campaigns are, for a variety of reasons, overlooked and underappreciated. But that's where a small number of dedicated people can have an outsized impact, and cumulatively, these local fights can translate into big wins..

I am going to work to highlight some of those campaigns this year, and we’ll learn about two of them today.


Research Links/Show Notes:
Winchester Dam
https://winchesterdam.com/Feb 17 Roseburg Protest: https://winchesterdam.com/saturday-february-17-2024-at-100-pm-protest-to-remove-winchester-dam-in-front-of-fred-meyer-in-roseburg/Pipe Fork Creek/Williams Community Forest Project
http://williamscommunityforestproject.org/https://www.williamscommunityforestproject.org/save-pipe-fork/https://www.change.org/p/permanently-prevent-the-clearcutting-of-pipe-fork-mature-forest-in-josephine-countySupport the Show.
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