A Forest Service program that pumped millions of dollars into rural communities has expired and with it the advent of sharply reduced revenue sharing timber harvest payments for more than 700 counties and 4,000 school districts.
For Oregon, the reduction would be particularly severe, cutting the 2015 payment of $86.4 million to $7 million, a 91.9 percent reduction, according to an analysis by the National Association of Counties. Polk County would see payments almost completely dry up after a reduction from $782,406 to $318.
For Marion County, the reduction would be from $1.8 million to $186,880, an 89.8 percent reduction.
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