Fact Checking Oregon’s Timber Harvest Debate

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has proposed a bill that could double harvests on more than two million acres of federal forests across Western Oregon. The timber management conversation has also spread to the state’s gubernatorial campaign.

1 minute read

February 23, 2014, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

With a recent bill by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) to expand forest management in Western Oregon as context, the Oregonian’s PolitiFact recently waded into the conversation about how best to manage the state’s forests by examining recent claims by Gordon Challstrom, a Medford businessman and Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Specifically in question are Challstrom’s claims that "Oregon and the federal government now have more than one million acres of burnt land and millions of trees being left to rot."

In the process of fact checking Challstrom’s statement, the article reveals a lot of information about Oregon’s forests and some of the methods in place to measure the impacts of forest fires.

FULL STORY: Do Oregon and the federal government have more than 1 million acres of burnt land with millions of rotting trees?

Saturday, February 22, 2014 in The Oregonian

Environment Land Use Oregon Federal Forests Forest Management Timber Harvest View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.