Oregon
Plan to reduce logging, protect habitat in Oregon’s western state forests passes on split vote – Gales Creek Journal
Following years of planning, tense negotiations and heated public comment, a landmark plan to reduce logging in Oregon’s western state forests to protect threatened species is nearing the finish line.
The Oregon Board of Forestry on Thursday voted to advance the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan. It next goes to federal agencies for approval, and is likely to be finalized by early 2025, according to Board Chair Jim Kelly.
Kelly is among four of the seven board members who voted to advance the plan to federal agencies at the Thursday meeting.
If implemented, it will regulate logging and conservation on about 630,000 thousand acres of state forests for the next 70 years to protect 17 threatened or endangered species. Among them are Northern spotted owls, marbled murrelets, salmon and steelhead, martens, red tree voles and torrent salamanders. The volume of wood permitted for harvest from those western state forests will drop by about 20%. On average, those forests would produce about 185 million board feet of timber each year rather than 225 million board feet currently produced.
The plan has been decades in the making, but its development was accelerated around 2018, and again in 2023, following lawsuits over species loss in Oregon’s western forests. Officials say a habitat conservation plan approved by the federal government is necessary for the state to avoid lawsuits under the federal Endangered Species Act.
“Going ahead with this habitat conservation plan is actually our only way to guarantee we have a future for logging in our state forests that does not shut them down,” Kelly said at the meeting.
Over the last few decades, as fewer federal acres were allowed to be cut, logging companies turned to Oregon’s state forests, Kelly said. Today, state forests make up 3% of Oregon’s forestlands, but provide 10% of the total timber that’s harvested in the state each year.
“That’s out of balance,” Kelly said. “At the end of the day, most Oregonians don’t want our state forests to be managed like a commercial tree farm.”
Leaders in western Oregon timber counties, timber company representatives and representatives of the logging industry have railed against the plan.
Fourteen western Oregon counties – Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook and Washington – have received a portion of revenues made on state timber harvests for 80 years. Some county leaders say they are angry and worried about the impact the habitat plan could have on their budgets.
David Reid, executive director of the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, representing 600 businesses across sectors in the area’s economy, called the plan a catastrophe.
“It’s a crime that you or anybody else has that much power over us, but you do,” he told the forestry board at the meeting.
Former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson unleashed a fiery criticism of the board, painting a grim picture of a future under the plan, including closed schools, deteriorating roads and suffering economies.
“Oregonians will remember you, and not favorably,” she said.
On average, the counties have received a combined $63.9 million each year from the timber harvests during the last decade.
Under the habitat conservation plan, counties would receive an average of $51 million each year, according to an analysis from the state forestry department released in December.
But some new logging areas will open up under the plan. Six of the 14 western timber counties stand to earn thousands of dollars more in annual revenue than years prior under the plan, but eight could lose up to several hundred thousand dollars each year. Clatsop and Washington counties appear to be staring down possible multi-million dollar losses.
This story originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle and is republished here under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Read more stories at oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
Entering the 2026 college football season, the Oregon Ducks are looking to not only win their first national championship in program history but also their second Big Ten title in the last three seasons.
When the Ducks joined the Big Ten in 2024, they kicked off their inaugural season in the conference in style, finishing the regular season undefeated at 13-0. This regular season was concluded with a thrilling 45-37 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten championship game.
Eug 040522 Lanning 02 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Ohio State Buckeyes, however, got revenge for their loss to the Ducks at Autzen Stadium earlier in the regular season, beating Oregon 41-21 in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. Entering the 2026 season, here’s a look at the Ducks’ chances of winning the Big Ten for the second time.
Oregon Ducks Big Ten Title Odds: Who’s The Biggest Threat?
According to the latest betting odds by FanDuel Sportsbook, the Ducks have +270 odds to win the Big Ten championship this season. The one team ahead of them is the Ohio State Buckeyes at +190, who, believe it or not, are in search of their first Big Ten title since 2020. The Buckeyes were upset by the Indiana Hoosiers 13-10 in the Big Ten championship last season.
Among the top teams in the Big Ten next season, Ohio State poses the biggest threat to the Ducks’ chances of not only winning a conference title but also the national championship. The Buckeyes and Ducks will face off in what could be the game of the year in Columbus on Nov. 7.
As exciting as this matchup will be for college football fans, it likely won’t be the only one between the Buckeyes and Ducks. Regardless of which team wins the Nov. 7 showdown in Columbus, the Buckeyes and Ducks could match up again in the Big Ten title game and in the CFP.
Other Teams That Pose a Threat to Oregon
While the Buckeyes are the main threat to the Ducks’ Big Ten title aspirations, other teams will be worth watching. One of those teams is the defending national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers.
Despite the key losses this offseason, which include Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, coach Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers restocked talent with the addition of TCU Horned Frogs transfer quarterback Josh Hoover and Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh.
The only two losses that the Ducks suffered last season came against the Hoosiers. If the two face off in the Big Ten championship, Indiana looks to continue its dominance over the Ducks. The Hoosiers and Ducks don’t play each other during the regular season.
The USC Trojans, whom the Ducks will face at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sept. 26, also look to knock off Oregon in what should be one of the top games of the first month of the college football season. Oregon coach Dan Lanning is undefeated 2-0 against USC’s Lincoln Riley and looks to extend the Ducks’ winning streak against the Trojans to five games.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing
02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 14 drawing
1PM: 6-3-6-3
4PM: 7-0-0-9
7PM: 2-0-6-0
10PM: 2-5-1-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. — Oregon State Police are asking for additional witnesses to come forward after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 20E in Deschutes County left two people seriously injured.
Troopers responded at 12:47 p.m. Friday, July 10, to the crash near milepost 41. A preliminary investigation found a westbound 2013 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck pulling a single-axle utility trailer attempted to pass a black Dodge 4500 towing a trailer. Police said an eastbound Hyundai Elantra tried to avoid a collision with the Chevrolet, lost control in the gravel on the eastbound shoulder, veered into the westbound lane and collided with the trailer pulled by the Dodge 4500.
The driver and passenger of the Hyundai were flown by air medic to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The crash affected traffic for about five hours. The driver of the Chevrolet was cited for careless driving and unsafe passing.
OSP is asking anyone who may have seen the Chevrolet driving westbound on Highway 20 at the moment of, or prior to, the collision to contact the OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. Callers should reference case number SP26-255130.
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