One of the state of Oregon’s natural resources is its forests. Tourists come to visit the beautiful forests, and companies log the forests in keeping with laws. Numerous activities in the forest generate resources and money for the state, so maintaining the forests is important from both a financial and a conservation perspective.
The laws in Oregon ensure that people and businesses who own land in the forest areas plan accordingly to keep actions from having too many adverse effects on the forests. Paperwork regarding various types of activities and business must be filed with local forestry departments, and there are regulations on how forest land can be used for business and other purposes.
Operations that grow or harvest trees, harvest timber, create roads, maintain roads, cut or burn trees for management purposes, reforest an area or make a change to forest land to create a non-forest use are all regulated by the laws and filing requirements. The rules are enforced by a Private Forest Program under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Department of Forestry.
A number of other activities in forest areas might also fall under the purview of the program, and it can be difficult to know when paperwork must be filed. Working with legal professionals who understand environmental law concerns in the state can help reduce the chance that you are involved in legal action because of your business or personal activities with regard to forest land.
If you are involved in legal action and a decision is not made in your favor, you might have further options. Working with a firm that understands both appeals law and environmental law might provide the best chance for a positive outcome.
Source: Associated Oregon Loggers, Inc., “Sustaining Forest Environment – Oregon Forest Protection,” accessed Dec. 11, 2015
