June 2024: The Land Board appointed six initial members to the Elliott State Research Forest Board of Directors.
May 2024: Department submitted final proposed Habitat Conservation Plan revisions to Federal permitting agencies. The Oregon Legislature concluded the legislative session with funding support for staffing the new research forest program and operations budget (through June 2025).
April 2024: Land Board adopted an
oversight structure for the Elliott State Research Forest, including the mission, management policies, and structure for a Board of Directors to provide research forest oversight.
December 2023: Land Board affirmed its commitment to establishing the Elliott as a publicly owned research forest and directed DSL to undertake the forest management role and advance next steps. DSL subsequently presents a
workplan of key actions, management structure and budget for program staffing.
November 2023:OSU leadership issued a letter indicating a Board of Trustees vote regarding OSU management of the Elliott would not be requested at that time. This caused a key condition of SB 1546 to fail, and the principal direction and provisions of the bill did not become law.
Dec. 2022: The State Land Board
decoupled the Elliott from the Common School Fund, and the Elliott State Research Forest Advisory Committee was honored with a
Land Board Award.
November 2022: Federal agencies begin public comment period on the Department’s draft Habitat Conservation Plan for the Elliott.
June 2022: Governor Brown signed SB 1546, passed by the Legislature to provide policy support and direction for the Elliott State Research Forest’s creation. Legislature also advanced additional funding for decoupling the forest from the Common School Fund.
Dec. 2020: The Elliott State Research Forest Proposal was presented to the State Land Board. The Land Board affirmed the Elliott State Forest's future as a research forest and directed continued collaboration and engagement to finalize remaining details.
Oct. – Nov. 2020: - Approximately
1,700 comments were submitted on the
draft OSU research forest proposal to assist DSL and OSU in identifying areas where additional information, discussion, or consideration was needed.
Dec. 2019: An update on progress was
presented to the Land Board. The Elliott State Research Forest Advisory Committee also delivered a unanimous statement to the Board recommending that work continue. The Land Board
directed DSL to continue work to explore transforming the Elliott into a publicly owned state research forest.
Jan. – Dec. 2019: DSL and OSU launched an exploratory process. DSL convened an Elliott State Research Forest Advisory Committee and related Oregon Consensus collaborative process, and OSU established an exploratory committee within its College of Forestry. DSL and OSU engaged the public and various stakeholders in conversation. The research forest concept was incorporated into the in-progress habitat conservation planning process.
Dec. 2018: The Land Board directed DSL and OSU to begin exploring the Elliott State Research Forest concept, including the advancement of a Habitat Conservation Plan under the federal Endangered Species Act.
May 2017: The State Land Board voted to keep the Elliott in public ownership (moving away from the “protocol” / auction process) and directed DSL to move forward with a public ownership project for the forest. Oregon Consensus advances a third-party, independent assessment of options.
July 2012: A lawsuit over endangered species affects harvest levels and significantly reduces revenue. The Elliott begins to cost rather than contribute to the Common School Fund, with maintenance costs, legal fees, and other expenses adding up to millions over subsequent years.
1955: The state began actively managing the Elliott. Timber harvest revenue goes to the Common School Fund and covers the cost of forest management.
1930: The Elliott State Forest was established as Oregon's first state forest.
1927: President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill authorizing the exchange of Common School Fund lands for a large block of land from the Siuslaw National Forest – what would become the Elliott State Forest.
1859: At statehood, Oregon was granted nearly 3.4 million acres of land "for use of schools." These Common School Fund lands continue to support our K-12 public schools today.