Habitat Conservation Plan initiative

The Public Draft of the Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan and the draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by NOAA Fisheries are available to view.

Public Draft of the Western Oregon State Forest HCP

Executive Summary

Incidental Take Permit applications for federal consideration:

This process includes a public comment opportunity that began on March 18 and was extended to Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Comments filed are available on NOAA's website and is also below under Public Engagement.

ODF is also developing a companion Forest Management Plan that incorporates the principles of the first Administrative Draft HCP and provides overall direction to manage state forestlands in the HCP permit area. Learn more about this process.

Public engagement

To date, ODF has hosted meetings open to the public to provide an opportunity for the public, stakeholders, department staff and consultants to share concerns and ideas for improvement. Past meeting presentations are posted on this page under "Resources," and future meeting notices will be posted on this page. These are an opportunity for two-way dialogue between the public, stakeholders, department staff and consultants to share concerns and ideas for improvement. Sign up to receive notifications and updates regarding the HCP process and upcoming meetings.

NOAA Fisheries began taking public comment on March 18 and extended the public comment period until Wednesday, June 1, 2022. NOAA Fisheries also accepted comment via a virtual public meeting on April 6, 2022.

In 2021, NOAA held a comment period on the Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the HCP. The comments are posted on NOAA Fisheries' website.

Additionally, the Board of Forestry will hold a special meeting on May 10, 2022, focused on the draft EIS. Information will be posted on the Board of Forestry meeting closer to that date.

Background

Like any landowner, ODF must comply with the federal and state Endangered Species Acts while managing to provide the social, economic and environmental benefits required by the Greatest Permanent Value rule (OAR 629-035-0020). ODF currently achieves this through a process called “take avoidance." This approach requires extensive and costly species surveys, resulting in shifting protections that, over time, is likely to limit the quality and durability of the habitat provided. It also creates more uncertainty around the long-term financial viability of managing state forests for the benefits required by law. An HCP potentially can improve certainty around outcomes for timber harvest, conservation, county revenues, and other public values articulated in greatest permanent value.

The Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) process seeks to explore an HCP as an opportunity to provide a more holistic and cost-effective way to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), while managing state forests for social, economic and environmental benefits.

This long-term plan would cover about 640,000 acres of ODF-managed land west of the Cascades, and does not include the Elliott State Forest. It would include conservation strategies for current and likely-to-be-listed species under the ESA, such as the Northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and the Oregon Coast and Lower Columbia River coho. If an HCP were approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, ODF would be assured ESA compliance over a 70-year permit term so long as the terms of the HCP are followed. This assurance would create more certainty in harvest levels as well as certainty for perseverance of covered species over the long-term.

For more details on this plan, please see the HCP Frequently Asked Questions.

The Board of Forestry directed the agency to pursue options for achieving financial viability while increasing conservation outcomes, including pursuit of a programmatic Endangered Species Act compliance tool such as a Habitat Conservation Plan.

The HCP process has 3 phases, with decision points built in for the Board of Forestry to determine if it is in the best interest of the state to continue working toward an HCP. The first phase included a business case analysis to evaluate cost and revenue impacts of pursuing an HCP as an alternative approach to ESA compliance. Based on this analysis, the Board of Forestry directed the Division to continue to Phase 2: Strategy Development and Stakeholder Engagement. In October 2020, the Board of Forestry voted to advance the HCP into Phase 3: NEPA analysis and stakeholder engagement.

This phase will include a National Environmental Policy Act analysis and development of a companion Forest Management Plan.

ODF recognizes that state and federal wildlife agencies have a vested interested in the development of an HCP, as well as policy technical expertise that would strengthen this long-term regulatory document. As such, the department formed a multi-agency governance structure consisting of a Steering Committee, which provides policy direction and oversight of the HCP process, and a Scoping Team of technical experts charged with developing the conservation strategies to be considered in a potential HCP. Each planning team has representatives from:

Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon Department of State Lands
Oregon State University
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
NOAA Fisheries

ODF convenes these planning teams to get insight and expertise from collaborating agencies. Ultimately, ODF is responsible for developing an HCP and submitting it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries for an Incidental Take Permit. This permit would ensure compliance with the ESA, protection for covered species, and certainty in harvest levels over time.