Oregon’s forestry board has long had the power to hire and fire the state forester, who oversees logging and environmental protections on state lands, as well as firefighting across millions of acres of public and private land.
But the board lost that hiring-and-firing power this session with Senate Bill 1051, which handed it over to the governor.
This bill has left many forestry board members wondering how much authority they still have.
“Right now, after the passage of this senate bill, I have very little reason to trust your office,” vice chair Brenda McComb told members of Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff at the board’s Wednesday meeting.
There’s a lot riding on forest management in Oregon. Revenues raised from logging trees on state lands help fund rural schools and some county budgets. Timber sales are also a key revenue source for the Oregon Department of Forestry, which fights fires on about 12 million acres of private land.
Droughts and rising temperatures from climate change are further straining the state’s forests, exacerbating mass species die-offs and fueling catastrophic wildfires.
During Wednesday’s meeting, board chair Jim Kelly wondered if Kotek’s office has the bandwidth to keep tabs on the person overseeing this complicated system.
“How can we trust you guys to be plugged in enough to do a good job in terms of managing the hiring, firing and the direction of the state forester?” Kelly asked.
Kotek’s senior natural resource advisor, Geoff Huntington, said the board maintains its authority to set forest policies in the state. Kotek’s office would be in charge of hiring and evaluating the performance of the state forester, not creating policies.
“From our perspective, 1051 does not change the policy responsibilities or the discretion of the board of forestry in any way,” Huntington said.
The state forester is a highly politicized position.
Former forester Cal Mukumoto resigned earlier this year after financial and staffing turmoil at the Oregon Department of Forestry. Some county leaders and timber advocates also criticized Mukumoto’s support for a forestry plan that is expected to substantially decrease logging, while increasing protections for fish and animal species.
Having a Democratic governor choose the next forester could make the job even more political.
“Even if we put a person in this position that is a really strong candidate, they’re in a system that’s more politicized now, for better or worse,” board member Liz Agpaoa said.
Some board members asked Kotek’s staff how the governor would ensure the next forester is protected from the world of politics.
“I would like some assurance that the governor’s going to stand up and support the person that’s hired and take whatever heat’s going to come their way,” McComb said.
Huntington said Kotek’s office is dedicated to “working through problems together, and working with the boards to help push the policies that will help make progress addressing the challenges the agency is facing.”
Kotek’s office posted the state forester job opening on Tuesday, with an annual salary range between about $153,000 and $236,000. It calls for “an experienced leader with extensive knowledge of western forestry” and “a visionary leader — someone who can bridge the past and the future.”
Kotek’s staff, a few board members, and leaders from other agencies will interview candidates through September. Kotek plans to interview final candidates in early October, offer the position to a candidate later that month, then finalize their nomination at a Senate confirmation hearing on Nov. 17.
